Women's Health April 4, 2026 0 Comments

Renée Zellweger’s Love Life Decoded: The Surprising Connections from Jim Carrey to Kenny Chesney to Ant Anstead You Never Saw Coming

Can you believe it’s already been 25 years since Bridget Jones’s Diary hit the big screen and completely charmed its way into our hearts? Seriously, that film didn’t just set the bar for rom-coms back in the early 2000s—it practically wrote the rulebook. Renée Zellweger’s portrayal of Bridget, caught between the wit of Hugh Grant and the smolder of Colin Firth, was so raw and relatable that it earned her a well-deserved Oscar nod, kicking off a dazzling career that would later include wins for Cold Mountain and Judy. But here’s the twist—off camera, Zellweger’s story isn’t your typical rom-com script. Unlike her on-screen alter ego, she’s walked a very different path: a short-lived marriage, a choice to remain child-free, and a love life as intriguing as any movie plot. Curious about how this iconic actress’s romances have unfolded and what she really thinks about living a child-free life? Let’s dive into the fascinating journey of the woman behind Bridget Jones. LEARN MORE

25 years ago this month, Bridget Jones’s Diary hit theaters, and the film delighted audiences, becoming a major box office success and setting the standard for early ’00s rom-coms. Renée Zellweger was charmingly relatable in her role as the title character, a young professional who finds herself in a love triangle with British dreamboats Hugh Grant and Colin Firth, and her performance earned her the first of her four Oscar nominations (she’d later win for Cold Mountain in 2004 and Judy in 2020).

Bridget Jones’s Diary was so popular that it spawned three sequels, in which the character married, had children and became widowed. Offscreen, Zellweger’s personal life is decidedly different from her signature character’s, as her only marriage ended in annulment and she chose not to have children. Read on to learn about the 56-year-old star’s romances and see what she’s said about being happily child-free.

Renée Zellweger and Jim Carrey: A broken ’90s engagement to a comedy icon

Renée Zellweger met Jim Carrey when they costarred in the 2000 comedy Me, Myself & Irene. They became engaged shortly after the film wrapped production in 1999 but split up the next year. Carrey later called Zellweger the “great love of my life,” and while they were together, the actress said, “It was a very unexpected, wonderful thing. It was just a really natural thing to want to be around each other. And we didn’t see each other for a few months after we finished the picture—or really speak even—and I just noticed his absence significantly. It just felt like ‘Wow, I really miss him.’”

After breaking up with Carrey, Zellweger was rumored to be dating another costar, George Clooney, who was at the time one of Hollywood’s most eligible bachelors, but this relationship was never confirmed.

Renée Zellweger and Jim Carrey in 2000Chris Weeks/Liaison/Getty

Renée Zellweger and Jack White: The screen queen and the indie rocker

Zellweger met musician Jack White of the rock duo the White Stripes on the set of the 2003 period film Cold Mountain, in which she starred and he had a small role and appeared on the soundtrack. They dated for a year and a half before breaking up in 2004.

Renée Zellweger and Kenny Chesney: A quickie marriage to a country star

In 2005, Renée Zellweger married country star Kenny Chesney after meeting him at a benefit concert. She had the marriage annulled after just four months on the grounds of “fraud,” in a move that generated considerable tabloid interest, leading to rumors that Chesney was gay. She later said that the use of the word “fraud” was “simply legal language and not a reflection of Kenny’s character.”

Looking back on her short-lived marriage in 2016, Zellweger said, “I’d said all I needed to say on that subject. I’m an old-fashioned gal who doesn’t feel it’s appropriate to hang out your laundry on the lawn. I feel you devalue yourself as a human being when you share very personal things with a bajillion strangers who are making fun of you. I just don’t see that there’s any dignity in that.”

Renée Zellweger and Bradley Cooper: A low-key relationship between A-listers

Zellweger and Bradley Cooper met during the filming of the horror movie Case 39 in 2006. The stars began dating in 2009 and were together for two years before breaking up in 2011. They never spoke publicly about their relationship, but she praised his acting skills, saying, “He’s a great actor, great actor. I just got so excited, not believing that I was going to go to work with him.”

Renée Zellweger and Bradley Cooper in 2020Kevin Winter/Getty

Renée Zellweger and Doyle Bramhall II: A 7-year partnership with a musician

From 2012 to around 2019, Zellweger dated musician Doyle Bramhall II. She called him “a very special person” and said, “I’m happy. Isn’t he cute? He’s a very sweet man. I’m very, very happy right now.”

While Zellweger was happy in her relationship with Bramhall, there was some gossip along the way, as he was in the process of divorcing his wife, musician Susannah Melvoin, when they got together, and according to court documents, the actress was supporting him financially.

Renée Zellweger and Doyle Bramhall II in 2014Jason Merritt/Getty for ELLE

Renée Zellweger’s current relationship with TV personality Ant Anstead

Zellweger has been dating British TV personality Ant Anstead since 2021. They met when she was a celebrity guest on his show Celebrity IOU: Joyride. The TV appearance was deeply meaningful to Zellweger, as in the episode, she helped customize two vintage cars for the nurses who cared for her late publicist and close friend, Nanci Ryder, before she died from ALS in 2020, and it also proved pivotal in her personal life. Zellweger and Anstead have been happy together for five years since then, and while she doesn’t use social media, he often shares cute pictures with the actress on his Instagram account.

The star hasn’t spoken much about Anstead, preferring to keep her personal life private, but in a Harper’s Bazaar interview, when asked if she thought her relationship was a gift from Ryder, given the circumstances of how they met, she said, “Yeah, we do joke about that. She’s always doing her best. It made me smile. It made me smile to think on this, yeah, the serendipity of it all.”

Renée Zellweger and Ant Anstead in 2023Ella Hovsepian/Getty

Renée Zellweger’s child-free life: ‘To choose not to have children isn’t that exceptional’

Renée Zellweger has never had children, and while the choice to be child-free often leads to increased scrutiny for women, the actress sees no issue with it, and she’s said, “To choose not to have children isn’t that exceptional, is it? I think it’s quite common.”

Zellweger may not be a mother, but she’s still close to the children in her life, as her partner has a daughter and two sons from his two previous marriages. When asked if she planned to have a baby, she responded, “I’ve never really thought like that about anything in my life, really. I’ve always been kind of open to whatever may be, curious to see what’s next. I’ve never been that deliberate about my life and the things that I would require in order to be happy,”—and while her personal life has had its moments of drama, it seems that the Bridget Jones star is happy with her current situation.

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