Renee Zellweger’s engagement joy

Much like her famous character Bridget Jones, the actress hasn’t always been lucky in love. But rumours are growing that she’s now engaged to British boyfriend Ant Anstead

Renee Zellweger

by Millie Payne |
Published on

Fans were giddy with Bridget Jones fever as the stars of the popular rom-com franchise flocked to London for the premiere of the latest instalment, Mad About The Boy.

Leading lady Renée Zellweger pulled out all the stops for the occasion last week, posing up a storm in a striking fuchsia gown as she stopped for red-carpet photographs with her co-stars Hugh Grant and Leo Woodall.

The beaming actress, 55 – who made her debut as the wholly relatable Bridget back in 2001 – was also accompanied by her boyfriend, Ant Anstead, on the special evening, with the pair looking blissfully happy as they left the after-party hand-in-hand.

Renee Zellweger and Leo Woodall
Renee Zellweger and Leo Woodall ©IMAGO/FAMOUS/James Warren

But the snaps sparked speculation that there was a specific reason Renée couldn’t keep the smile off her face, after fans questioned whether a plaster on her wedding ring finger was a ploy to conceal a possible engagement, with one fan posting, ‘Covering it up is like wearing a bullseye target! Congratulations to her, if so.’

This is not the first time that rumours of wedding bells have circulated. In summer 2023, two years after Renée and TV presenter Ant, 45, began dating, a source said, ‘Renée has been telling her inner circle about organising their nuptials – everything will be very low-key. Her relationship with Ant is super strong and they’re madly in love, and they can’t wait to get hitched.’

Engagement rumours were quashed, but a source added that they had ‘found a house that they both love and are moving in together. They are very happy and in love.’

Renee Zellweger and Ant Anstead
Renee Zellweger and Ant Anstead ©Ella Hovsepian/Getty Images

The award-winning actress hasn’t always been lucky in love. Her first high-profile romance, with actor Jim Carrey, was short-lived but serious. After meeting on the set of Me, Myself & Irene in 1999, the pair began dating and quickly got engaged, but things came to an end in late 2000. While neither publicly opened up about their split, Jim referred to his ex as the ‘great love of my life’ in his 2020 book, Memoirs And Misinformation.

Renée, then in her mid-thirties, moved on with country singer Kenny Chesney, whom she married in a whirlwind wedding in May 2005 after five months of dating. But the pair had the marriage annulled just four months later, with the one-time bride citing ‘fraud’ as the reason. The annulment prompted false conjecture about Kenny’s sexual orientation, but the musician later clarified that they deemed selecting ‘fraud’ to be the ‘least harmful’ option.

Bradley Cooper and Renee Zellweger in Case 39
Bradley Cooper and Renee Zellweger in Case 39 ©IMAGO/Capital Pictures

Before Ant, Renée’s last known relationship was with fellow actor Bradley Cooper between 2009 and 2011. They met on the set of Case 29, with Bradley previously saying he ‘loved coming to work and acting with [Renée] because he could learn so much from her’. Nine years after their break-up, the exes had an amicable reunion at the Oscars.

No stranger to mixing work with pleasure, Renée crossed paths with Ant in 2021 on Celebrity IOU: Joyride – a Disney+ show he presented – and they began dating. A source revealed at the time that their chemistry was ‘instant’.

Closer magazine cover
GET THE BEST CELEB INTERVIEWS IN CLOSER MAGAZINE EACH WEEK ©Bauer Media

While the A-lister has no children of her own, she has formed a blended family with British motor specialist Ant, as he’s father to Amelie, 20, and Archie, 18, with his first wife Louise Anstead, and five-year-old Hudson with second wife Christina Haack.

In an interview in 2022, Renée was asked whether she believed her late publicist, Nanci Ryder, ‘gifted’ her Ant. ‘Yeah, we do joke about that,’ the film star replied. ‘She’s always doing her best. It made me smile. It made me smile to think on this, yeah, the serendipity of it all.’

Meanwhile, Renée and Ant – who are reported to enjoy a low-key lifestyle – were not the only loved-up couple at the Bridget Jones première. Closer spotted Leo Woodall, 28, and his girlfriend, American actress Meghann Fahy, 34, at the after-party, before they left holding hands. The pair’s love story began in 2022 when they met during filming for The White Lotus, but their relationship wasn’t confirmed until November 2023 when they were photographed kissing in New York.

WATCH: Love Island’s India Reynolds reveals the villa’s biggest troublemaker and why are we not surprised?

Just so you know, we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website - read why you should trust us