Simone Ashley Is 'Not in a Rush' to Leave Her 'Single Era' After Breakup from Tino Klein (Exclusive)

Simone Ashley is happily single.

Following her breakup from boyfriend Constantin "Tino" Klein, the Picture This actress and producer tells PEOPLE she is "defining [her] single era as a time that I don't wanna waste away."

"It's about self-growth, and I am looking for someone who is so confident in themselves and is really ready to have an open heart in the same way I do. And I think that's hard to find," says Ashley, 29.

To that end, "I'm not in a rush," notes the Bridgerton star. "It can be easy to jump into the next thing immediately, which is something that I am choosing not to do."

"I want to take my time to find the right person for me and to work on myself — to grow, and to focus on my work," she continues.

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"I've got such an incredible year ahead and I'm up to such exciting things," Ashley adds. "And I have the most amazing family and friends around me. So I'm working on my heart and on myself and on my confidence."

The actress first hinted at her romance with Klein in a November 2022 talk with British Vogue, saying at the time that she was "very happy."

"We haven't gone public yet and we're having those conversations about how we can get there before anyone else does," she said. The pair eventually went Instagram official in March 2023.

Ashley subtly announced their split when she appeared on BBC's Woman's Hour in February and revealed that she had been in her "single era" since January. The star also pointed out with a laugh that it felt "kinda ironic" to be promoting her producing debut, the romantic comedy Picture This, while being freshly single.

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For now, Ashley tells PEOPLE, it's "really exciting" for her to be part of the rom-com sphere with Picture This, as it's a genre she has always loved.

"I grew up watching rom-coms," she says. "I loved all those '90s classic rom-coms; anything with Julia Roberts. My Best Friend's Wedding, The Other Woman, 10 Things I Hate About You, Bend It like Beckham, Bridget Jones."

"I'm such a hopeless romantic, and I think rom-coms allow people to have that space where you believe in the idea of that love is possible. That's how I feel when I watch them," Ashley adds.

Picture This is on Prime Video March 6.