Renée Zellweger facts: Bridget Jones star's age, partner, nationality and life away from the screen revealed
14 February 2025, 17:28
Here is everything you need to know about Academy Award winning actress Renée Zellweger, from her age to her relationship with Ant Anstead and more.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Renée Zellweger has become a fan-favourite actress for her performances in the Bridget Jones series, as well as her iconic work in Chicago and Judy.
After bursting onto our screens in Dazed and Confused back in 1993, Renée has gone on to carve out a successful acting career appearing in films such as Jerry Maguire, Cold Mountain and Miss Potter.
As fans eagerly anticipate the release of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy where she will be reunited with Hugh Grant and Colin Firth we've done a deep dive into Renée's life away from the screen.
So how old is Renée Zellweger, is she English, who is her partner Ant Anstead, what happened between her and Jim Carrey and has she had cosmetic surgery?
How old is Renée Zellweger?
Renée was born on April 25th 1969, and celebrated her 55th birthday in 2024.
Reflecting back to 2019 when she turned 50, Renée revealed to The Sunday Times how the milestone "felt like a whole new beginning without the nonsense, the point where you can stop listening to all those voices in your head and all those expectations and projections people have of you and become more authentically yourself.
"Like, good luck all you suckers out there because you've got to survive a lot to get to my age, and I've earned my power and voice."
She went on to add: "As long as we buy into the whole idea that society is obsessed with youth, then we perpetuate it.
"Okay, so you want to look good? So go get your hair done or your skin fixed or have that day at the spa or whatever it is that makes you feel great. But let who you are and what you contribute and how you represent yourself at that age lead."
- Read more: Chiwetel Ejiofor facts: Actor's age, movies, wife and kids revealed
- Read more: Leo Woodall facts: Age, movies, TV shows and girlfriend Meghann Fahy revealed
Is Renée Zellweger English?
Despite her fantastic English accent in the Bridget Jones films, it is not Renée's real accent as the actress was born and raised in Texas.
The star worked with voice and dialect coach Barbara Berkery to perfect her iconic accent, with Renée discussing her British twang with Hugh Grant for British Vogue.
Renée revealed: "Well, that was Barbara [Berkery]. You remember Barbara. I saw her three times a day. We would start in the morning before work, I’d meet her for lunch and then we would work either through dinner or before dinner. It was really hard to get back into it for Mad About the Boy, though."
- Read more: Bridget Jones Mad About the Boy review roundup as critics divided
- Read more: Will there be another Bridget Jones film? Everything the cast and author have said about a fifth movie
Who is Renée Zellweger dating?
Renée is currently in a relationship with English presenter Ant Anstead, 45, with the pair meeting back in 2021 during filming of the Discovery+ show Celebrity IOU Joyride.
Later that year the couple went public with their relationship, with Ant telling People at the time: "I mean, there's no hiding it. Everyone knows that Renée and I are dating."
He continued: "I'm really grateful to the show because these amazing things happen in your world and sometimes when things collide, they collide at the most obscure times when you least expect them. And that's what happened in this case. I'm grateful for that."
Ant was previously married to Louise Anstead from 2005-2017, with the pair sharing daughter Amelie and son Archie together. The 45-year-old was also wed to TV star Christina Haack from 2018-2020, with the former couple welcoming son Hudson in 2019.
- Read more: Bridget Jones: How Colin Firth reacted to Mr Darcy being killed off
- Read more: Bridget Jones 4 soundtrack: Every song in Mad About the Boy
What happened between Renée and Jim Carrey?
One of Renée's most high-profile relationships with with her Me, Myself & Irene co-star Jim Carrey.
The pair met in 1999 but split in 2000, however Jim still holds fond memories of Renée, calling her "very special" back in 2020.
During an interview on The Howard Stern Show on SiriusXM, Jim revealed: "She definitely was special to me, very special, I think she's lovely."
He added: "I don't regret, I don't have those things, but I do appreciate the people that have come through my life for the good that they gave me."
- Read more: Leo Woodall and Meghann Fahy's relationship explained
- Read more: 7 Wicked moments completely improvised by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo
Has Renée Zellweger has cosmetic surgery?
In 2014 Renée hit the headlines as fans believed she had undergone cosmetic surgery. As rumours continued to fly regarding her appearance, the actress wrote an op-ed for the Huffington Post regarding the media's fascination with her looks.
Renée began: "I'm glad folks think I look different! I’m living a different, happy, more fulfilling life, and I’m thrilled that perhaps it shows. My friends say that I look peaceful. I am healthy.
"For a long time I wasn’t doing such a good job with that. I took on a schedule that is not realistically sustainable and didn’t allow for taking care of myself.
"Rather than stopping to recalibrate, I kept running until I was depleted and made bad choices about how to conceal the exhaustion. I was aware of the chaos and finally chose different things."
- Read more: Has Wicked 2 been filmed? Filming schedule revealed
- Read more: What happens in Wicked Part 2? Everything we know about the second movie
- Read more: Wicked easter eggs revealed: Every hidden message you missed
