Who Did Renée Zellweger Date Before Ant Anstead? Jim Carrey, Bradley Cooper, and More
Renée Zellweger is currently in a relationship with Ant Anstead, but who else has the Oscar-winning actor dated? Here’s a look back at Zellweger’s romances with Jim Carrey, Bradley Cooper, and more.
Jim Carrey and Renée Zellweger were engaged, and he called her ‘the great love of [his] life’
Jim Carrey was married twice before he dated Renée Zellweger. After divorcing Lauren Holly in 1997, he started dating Zellweger while they worked together on the 2000 movie Me, Myself & Irene. Carrey and Zellweger were even briefly engaged during their year-long romance, but they never made it down the aisle.
“She was special to me, very special. I think she’s lovely,” Carrey said on The Howard Stern Show in 2020 (per Us Weekly). “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… but I don’t pine for anybody, it’s not that kind of situation. It’s just my way of saying, ‘There was a very important thing there,’ and to recognize that.”
In his 2020 book Memoirs and Misinformation, Carrey called Zellweger “the great love of [his] life.”
Renée Zellweger and musician Jack White and while working on a movie together
Jack White met Renée Zellweger on the set of the 2003 movie Cold Mountain, in which he had a small role as a troubadour. The White Stripes musician quietly dated the actor for over a year before they broke up peacefully in 2004.
A source close to Zellweger confirmed that the split was amicable, telling People, “It was mutual. No scandal. No new relationships.”
Renée Zellweger and Kenny Chesney were briefly married
Renée Zellweger and Kenny Chesney got married in 2005 after knowing each other for five months. They annulled the marriage just four months later, citing “fraud” as the reason.
Zellweger’s decision to mark “fraud” on the annulment documents sparked false tabloid rumors about Chesney’s sexual orientation. The country music star addressed the gossip in a 60 Minutes interview with Anderson Cooper. “It’s not true, period,” he said of the rumors surrounding his sexuality (per Good Housekeeping). He explained that Zellweger checked the “fraud” box on documents because they believed it was the “least harmful.”
“The only fraud that was committed was me thinking that I knew what it was going to be like, that I really understood what it was like to be married, and I really didn’t.”
Renée Zellweger got close to Bradley Cooper’s family when they dated
Bradley Cooper and Renée Zellweger met while filming the 2009 supernatural thriller Case 39.
The two never spoke publicly of their romantic relationship, but The Hangover star gushed about working with Zellweger in an interview with ET. “I can’t say enough about her. I just love her,” he said (per InStyle). “I loved coming to work, I love acting with her. I can learn so much from her.”
Zellweger also became very close to Cooper’s family, especially his mother. She even skipped the 2011 Golden Globes to be with Cooper and his family in Pennsylvania after his father died.
They broke up after two years, reportedly due to Cooper’s focus on his career.
The actor’s longest relationship was with Doyle Bramhall II
Renée Zellweger’s longest relationship was with musician Doyle Bramhall II. The guitarist, producer, and songwriter is best known for his work with Eric Clapton and Roger Waters. He is the son of drummer and songwriter Doyle Bramhall.
Zellweger first met Bramhall at the University of Texas in the 19080s, but they didn’t start dating until 2012. “Isn’t he cute? He’s a very sweet man,” the actor told People in 2015. “I’m very, very happy right now.”
They broke up in 2019 after seven years together.
The ‘Judy’ star has been in a relationship with Ant Anstead since 2021
Renée Zellweger and Ant Anstead have been dating since June 2021, following the English TV presenter’s divorce from HGTV star Christina Hall. Anstead and Zellweger live in houses across the street from each other in Laguna Beach, California.
The couple has mostly kept their romance private, but the Wheeler Dealers star occasionally shares photos of his partner on social media. In July 2022, Anstead posted an Instagram picture showing Zellweger holding Anstead’s arm while he placed his hand on her legs.
“This lady [heart face emoji],” he captioned the image. “Pure. Class. Ren x.”
