Renée Zellweger Opens Up About Health Scare, Career Break, and Newfound Balance in Her Life

UNDER SCRUTINY

Bridget may be weightobsessed, but Renée knows what it’s like to have her looks dissected. After she appeared at a 2014 event, the internet was ablaze with plastic surgery speculation.

“You learn that your skin is not quite as thick as you need it to be,” she said of the “humiliation.”

Renée Zellweger and Ant Anstead held hands as they left the London afterparty for Peacock’s Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy Jan. 29. In a rare move for the private star, the couple were joined by Anstead’s older children, Amelie, 20, and Archie, 18, along with his parents, Nigel and Sue. (Ant also has a 5-year-old son, Hudson, with second wife Christina Haack.) Sharing this joyful moment with her partner of three years and his family felt like a scene straight out of Bridget Jones — but this was real life. “She was thrilled to have Ant join her at the premiere and show him off,” an insider tells Star. “It goes to show how comfortable she is with this relationship.”

The two-time Oscar winner, 55, is back in the spotlight for the fourth installment in the Bridget Jones film series. The beloved British character — so convincingly played by Renée since 2001 that even her longtime costar Hugh Grant was surprised by her natural Texas twang — has brought her lasting fame but also led to intense scrutiny of everything from her weight to her romantic life. Now Renée is opening up about her biggest regrets, why she ditched Hollywood for six years and a terrifying health scare.

Note To Self

She was America’s sweetheart, all dimples and toothy smiles, who Tom Cruise had “at hello” in the 1996 classic Jerry Maguire Throughout her 35-year career, Renée has appeared in nearly 50 films and prestige TV series. She’s also had her share of highprofile romances, from Jim Carrey and Jack White to Bradley Cooper, as well as an illfated marriage to country star Kenny Chesney in 2005, which was annulled due to “fraud.” In a recent interview, she admitted she lost herself, telling the U.K. Guardian she’d advise her younger self: “Girl, slow down. Moving from place to place, constantly living out of your suitcase — I never unpacked until I was probably 41.”

She got the message in 2010, when the actress, facing some bad reviews, decided to step back from her career. Speaking with Hugh for Vogue, she revealed, “I needed to. I was sick of the sound of my own voice. When I was working, I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, listen to you. Are you sad again, Renée? Oh, is this your mad voice?’ It was a regurgitation of the same emotional experiences.”

Her decision was met with skepticism, says the insider. “A lot of people told her she was making a mistake. But it was more important to Renée to get in a healthy frame of mind and live a normal life outside of the Hollywood spotlight.” During her time away, she explored new passions — writing music, studying international law, building a house, rescuing two dogs and cherishing time with family and a close friend facing health struggles.

‘You’re Going To Die’

She’s already faced her own health issues. Over the years, the naturally slim star repeatedly gained and lost up to 30 pounds to bring Bridget to life, but the constant fluctuations — and 4,000-calorie-per-day diet — took their toll, leaving Renée feeling “mentally whacked” and “all over the place” while filming Bridget Jones’s Diary in 2001 and its sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason three years later. “I had a panic attack with all the specialists talking about how bad this is for you long term — putting on that much weight so quickly,” she said. “They were all saying, ‘You must stop this now, or you’re going to die.’” (She’s since said she won’t gain or lose weight for a role.)

Coming Back

After enduring scrutiny over her weight, relationships and career choices, Renée chose to prioritize herself. She’s more selective about projects, winning her second Oscar for 2019’s Judy. By the time she met Ant, 45, on the set of his show Celebrity IOU: Joyride, she felt whole again. “She’s found balance in her life — she works when she wants to and has plenty of other things to keep her fulfilled when she doesn’t,” says the insider. The actress, who affectionately calls Ant “my fella,” has said she stays off social media and lives in the present. Adds the insider, “Everything is going so well for Renée.”