Strange Things About Renee Zellweger & Ant Anstead's Relationship

Renee Zellweger and Ant Anstead surprised the world when their romance went public in June 2021. The two met while filming "Celebrity IOU Joyride" and began quietly dating shortly after, but we've noticed some strange things in this relationship since then. Among them, when they got together. In April 2023, Anstead shared Instagram photos of himself and Zellweger to celebrate their second anniversary, confirming they became a couple in April 2021. At that time, he was still married to HGTV star Christina Haack, with whom he didn't finalize his divorce until June 2021 (they announced their split in September 2020).

The timing of Anstead and Zellweger's romance is only made odder, considering that only four months before they got together, he spoke candidly about how difficult he found his second divorce. "I think everybody knows this was not my decision. It really hit me hard. If you ask anybody that knows me properly, they know that I give myself fully. I had so much love for her," he told People. Though there's no one-size-fits-all timeline for moving on from a marriage, Anstead's comments suggest he may not have been fully healed from the trauma of his split with the "Christina On The Coast" star. As relationship expert Nicole Moore previously told us while exclusively dissecting Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater's red flags, "It's possible that both Ariana and Ethan are using the relationship as a way to avoid what may need to be healed within them." And the same could be said for Anstead. But that's definitely not the only odd thing in this surprise romance.

Despite a People source claiming in 2023 that Renee Zellweger (who's childless by choice) and Ant Anstead (who has three children) are "committed long-term," they don't seem to have plans to walk down the aisle. Marriage isn't for everyone, and that's okay, but it's odd that these two aren't looking to tie the knot, considering they both once believed in marriage. Zellweger was famously married to country star Kenny Chesney for four months in 2005, while Anstead was married twice before finding love with the "Case 39" star. In addition to his marriage to Christina Haack, he was with his first wife, Louise Herbert, until they divorced in 2017. Even odder, considering Anstead has popped the question twice before, is that he seemed very much against proposing to Zellweger around a year into their romance. "Oh, absolutely not. What's the rush?" he told Us Weekly when asked if he was considering popping the question, even though he and Haack got married just over a year into their romance.

Equally, Zellweger reportedly has no desire to become a wife again. "Renee and Ant have been dating for over three years. She loves the relationship the way it is. She's seen so many couples ... who have happily dated, only to split not long after getting married. Why would she risk rocking the boat and rushing to take her relationship with Ant to the next level?" a source told Daily Mail. Though the logic checks out, and it's good that both appear to be on the same page, it's strange for two people so committed and in love to be so against another trip down the aisle.

Though Renee Zellweger and Ant Anstead are both public figures, it's impossible to deny that one has more star power and a larger net worth. Zellweger has been an A-List actor for decades, thanks to her roles in the likes of the Bridget Jones movies, "Chicago," and "Jerry Maguire." Anstead found lesser fame through "Wheeler Dealers" in 2017, and his profile grew thanks to his ill-fated marriage to Christina Haack. Unsurprisingly, Zellweger's longer stint in Hollywood and more high-profile career are reflected in her bank balance. Zellweger is worth $90 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, while Anstead has reportedly amassed closer to $1 million.

The stark difference between their net worths has reportedly worried Zellweger's inner circle. "Renee is in deep with Ant, but there have been concerns from friends as she is very wealthy, and he's been going through some financial hardships," a source told Heat in 2025. "With his car bodyworks company going bankrupt last year, and his TV production company dissolved, it's been a stressful time for Ant. He's eager to put in the past, but Renee's pals are worried she might end up having to bail him out."

Equally, their money gap could put a strain on their daily lives as they work out how to balance their finances. As Nicole Moore previously told us exclusively while sharing the red flags in between Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, "While couples having disparate incomes is not always a problem, in some couples it turns into a power struggle dynamic."

Renee Zellweger is notoriously private, which Ant Anstead claimed to like a lot during an interview with Entertainment Tonight. A People source doubled down on that, sharing, "Ant loves that she is very private. She couldn't care less about social media. She has integrity and class. She's kind of old school." Only, Anstead doesn't seem to have the same perspective about privacy on social media.

While Zellweger doesn't have any public social media accounts, Anstead has profiles on multiple platforms and has shared various personal photos of himself and his girlfriend over the years. Among them, an Instagram upload showing them kissing in 2021 and multiple private snaps of himself and Zellweger on a hike, sharing kisses two years later. There's nothing wrong with the TV personality wanting to celebrate their love in front of the world, but Zellweger valuing her privacy so much to the point she rarely speaks publicly about their romance while he posts PDA snaps is strange, and ultimately suggests they aren't on the same page. And that could cause problems.

It's not unusual for celebrity couples to spend extended amounts of time apart due to their busy schedules, but in Renee Zellweger and Ant Anstead's case, their living arrangements have raised eyebrows more than once. In May 2025, a rep for Anstead confirmed to People that Zellweger had been spending time in New York while filming "Only Murders in the Building," while he'd been going back and forth between his native U.K. and California. That came after the Daily Mail dropped a bombshell, claiming the two hadn't actually lived together for a year. They suggested Anstead had initially moved into Zellweger's Laguna Beach property, but claimed he'd since moved into a smaller rental home. The outlet also reported Anstead had been spotted at the property of a woman named Julia French while Zellweger was out of town.

However, Anstead's rep hit back at the report and the insinuation that something romantic was going on between him and French. "Sadly, the recent reports in the press are disrespectful and misleading," they said. "[Anstead] stayed just a handful of days in Julia French's separate, and detached, guest house. They have been long-time friends with similar aged children within a circle of local Laguna Beach friends." Though the rep didn't comment on whether Anstead and Zellweger were still living together when they were in the same state, they added, "[Anstead and Zellweger] remain in a cherished relationship that they ask to keep private." If the two decided to no longer live in the same property, though, that's a strange move for a couple who are still going strong.