If you’re a fan of Bridget Jones, Chicago, or Jerry Maguire, then you’ve been familiar with Renée Zellweger for many years now. After all, while the Oscar winner keeps her life more private than most, she’s been making history in the industry for decades.
But, while her projects, like the Oscar-winning Judy in 2019 are well-known, many of her personal relationships have been forgotten or stayed under the radar. To find out who else the Bridget Jones star has dated over the years, including a few musicians, one A-list comedian and her marriage that was annulled after only four months, scroll below!
Who Is Renée Zellweger Dating?
Zellweger has been in a relationship with Wheeler Dealers star Ant Anstead since 2021. The couple lives together in California. Anstead was previously married to HGTV star Christina Haack.
Zellweger is not currently married but was famously married to ex-husband Kenny Chesney for four months back in 2005. Other high profiles romances in the actress’s life include her relationships with Jim Carrey and Bradley Cooper.
For details on her romance with Anstead and her previous relationships, keep reading.
Jim Carrey (1999 – 2000)
We’re starting off this list with quite a surprising couple: Zellweger dated comedian Jim Carrey from 1999 to 2000. Their romance started when they worked together on Me, Myself & Irene.
In his book, titled Memoirs and Misinformation, Carrey even referred to the actress as his “last great love,” per People.
“She definitely was special to me, very special, I think she’s lovely,” Carrey said of The Howard Stern Show.
When asked if she was “the one that gone away,” Carrey said he has no regrets but doesn’t “pine for anybody.”
“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,” the actor said.
Jack White (2003 – 2004)
In another on-set romance, Zellweger started dating musician Jack White when he co-starred with White Stripes performer in Cold Mountain in 2003.
In 2004, however, People confirmed their split. “They remain good friends,” the actress’ rep told the outlet. “No scandal. No new relationships.”
Kenny Chesney (2005)
From rock to country!
In 2005, Zellweger surprised us all when she sparked up a romance with country singer Kenny Chesney. The two first met at NBC’s Concert of Hope (a tsunami aid telethon) in January 2005.
“They had each other from hello,” journalist Jess Cagle said at the time, per Us Weekly. “At that point, they exchanged numbers and emails and started this sort of long-distance relationship that became a real romantic thing.”
Four months into their relationship, Zellweger walked down the aisle for the first time and got married to Chesney in May 2005. The two tied the knot in an intimate ceremony at Chesney’s private estate on St. John in the U.S Virgin Islands.
Four months after that, the actress shocked the world when she filed to annul the union, citing fraud.
The split exacerbated the speculations that Chesney was gay, which he and Zellweger shut down in the years after the breakup.
“I want to clarify that the term ‘fraud’ as listed in the documentation is simply legal language and not a reflection of Kenny’s character,” Zellweger said in a statement at the time. “I would personally be very grateful for your support in refraining from drawing derogatory, hurtful, sensationalized or untrue conclusions and greatly appreciate your understanding that we hope to experience this transition as privately as possible.”
“Maybe I should’ve come out and said that, ‘No, I’m not.’ But I didn’t want to draw any more attention to it, you know, ’cause I knew I wasn’t … it’s not true, period,” Chesney told 60 Minutes in 2007.
Bradley Cooper (2009 – 2011)
Featuring another on-set romance, Zellweger started dating A-lister Bradley Cooper after starring in 2009’s Case 39 with him.
“I can’t say enough about her. I never met her before this, but I just love her,” Cooper told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “I love coming to work. I love acting with her. I can learn so much from her.”
During their relationship, reports confirmed how serious it was between them. From spending the holidays with each other’s family to Zellweger skipping the 2011 Golden Globes to be with Cooper after his dad’s death, these two were quite serious. In 2010, engagement rumors also started swirling.
In March 2011, however, the two called it quits. Per reports from Us Weekly, they just couldn’t make it work with Cooper’s blossoming career.
“If I had to pick any possible mistress it would be Brad’s career,” the source said. “He worked really hard to get into leading man status.”
“She’s accomplished a lot of her professional goals,” the source added. “So Renée took some time out to be a great girlfriend and see if this is what it took to make a relationship work.”
But, eventually, she couldn’t give any more. “She stopped fighting,” the insider said. “It was just not working out.”
Doyle Bramhall II (2012 – 2019)
After Cooper, Zellweger started dating another musician, Doyle Bramhall II. The two, who first met in college in the ’80s, started dating in 2012 and kept their romance low-key over the years.
“He’s a very special person!” she told Us Weekly in 2017.
Two years later, in 2019, the two sadly broke up.
“[Love] kind of stays,” Zellweger reflected to People after their split. “And that over time, even when you think it’s gone, reflecting on it, it’s still very much there. It’s kind of great, actually.”
Ant Anstead (2021 – Present)
Zellweger is currently dating reality star Ant Antead. The two first met in an episode of Anstead’s Discovery+ series Celebrity IOU Joyride in 2021 and sparks started flying right away.
By the end of the year, Zellweger spent Christmas with Anstead’s kids Amelie, Archie and Hudson (who Anstead shares with his ex-wife, Christina Haack).
“It was great,” the car expert told People. “I mean, Renée’s so personable, and so great with people, and they’ve met a few times on FaceTime, so everybody was excited to finally get together.”
“Of course, everybody got on famously,” he added. “It’s really nice.”
On January 15, Zellweger revealed she moved to Southern California, to be with Anstead and Hudson. “That’s where my fellow lives, and his little boy,” she told British Vogue.
On January 29, the low-key couple had a rare outing in London when Anstead joined her at an afterparty following the premiere of Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy.
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