On screen Bridget Jones may be navigating the complexities of modern day dating, but off screen actress Renée Zellweger is loved up with her British TV icon partner. Following the premiere of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy at London’s Leicester Square, the actress was supported by her partner Ant Anstead and the pair were seen walking hand-in-hand as they left an afterparty.
While TV viewers may recognise Ant, 45, for his role on shows including Channel 4’s For the Love of Cars as well as BBC Two’s Building Cars Live which he hosted in 2015 alongside James May and Kate Humble, prior to entering the world of showbiz, Ant had a very different career. At the age of 18 he joined the police force and was later appointed one of the youngest Tactical Firearms Team officers in UK history, though he chose to pursue his passion of working with automobiles.
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Instagram)Prior to his relationship with Renée, 55, Ant was married to his first wife Louise from 2005 to 2017 and the pair share two children, Archie and Amelia. Following his divorce, he was in a relationship with TV personality Christina Hall and the pair tied the knot in 2018 and welcomed their son into the world in 2019. They sadly separated in September 2020.
Ant and Renée first met in 2021 when filming the Discovery+ show Celebrity IOU Joyride, which is hosted by Ant. During Renée’s episode, the pair, alongside co-host Cristy Lee, gifted twin brothers, who helped look after her late friend and publicist Nanci Ryder, with new cars.
In September 2021, the pair went Instagram official when Plymouth-born Ant shared a black and white selfie alongside Renée. Although he didn’t caption the post, fans quickly flooded the comments section with messages of support for the couple.
“I’m so happy for you! You both deserve so much happiness!,” wrote one. “Absolutely LOVE this for you and Renee. You got a good Woman there! Love her,” another added. Meanwhile, a third wrote: “Ant you deserve to be happy and this is especially beautiful to see, Renee is a gorgeous woman inside and out, a match made in heaven!”
Just days after going Instagram official, Ant opened up about his blossoming romance where he explained that there was “no hiding” his relationship. “Everyone knows that Renée and I are dating,” he said during an interview with People.
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Instagram)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.”
In 2022, Renée also opened up on the origins of their relationship and told Harper’s Bazaar that she smiles to think her late friend Nanci brought her and Ant together. “She's always doing her best. It made me smile. It made me smile to think on this, yeah, the serendipity of it all,” she admitted.
During a recent interview with British Vogue, the Oscar award winning actress discussed her living arrangements. “I live in Southern California, near San Diego,” she said. “Because that’s where my fellow lives, and his little boy.”
Although Renée isn’t on social media, Ant has a whopping 450,000 followers on Instagram and occasionally gives his fans a rare peek inside his relationship. In November 2024, the TV personality gushed over her upcoming role in the latest Bridget Jones film as he shared the trailer on his page.
“The missus was busy being brilliant this summer….. she’s a bloomin Bridget genius! Oh And Leo… we need to quiet chat down a dark alleyway… x,” he joked in the caption.
Prior to that, in the summer of 2023 the presenter revealed that he’d headed to Goodwood Festival of Speed with Renée alongside his two eldest children, Archie and Amelia.
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