Renée Zellweger’s Boyfriend Ant Anstead Shares Rare Glimpse at Romance

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Ant Anstead is enjoying the ride. 

The host of Born Mechanic celebrated five years with his girlfriend, actress Renée Zellwegger, by reminiscing about how they first met. They connected on the set of Celebrity IOU: Joyride back in 2021.

On April 23th, the 47-year-old shared a post on Instagram celebrating five years with his wife, calling her ‘the best human I know’ and expressing his love for her.

Renée prefers to keep her relationship private, but her partner, Ant—who has three children from previous relationships, Amelie (22), Archie (19), and Hudson (6)—often publicly praises her. He frequently shares her achievements on his social media accounts.

Last November, when the 56-year-old actress received a statue of her famous romantic comedy character, Bridget Jones, in London, her partner simply called her “Iconic.”

Over time, Ant and Renée have shared small details about how their relationship began. They first met while filming a Discovery+ show, where Ant assisted Renée in building custom cars as gifts for nurses Jerome and Jerald Cowan. These nurses provided care for Renée’s close friend and publicist, Nanci Ryder, until she passed away from ALS in 2020.

Even though things were tough for her on Celebrity IOU: Joyride, the car expert helped bring some positivity to the actress’s healing process after a loss. She had previously playfully suggested that Nanci might have sent Ant to her from the afterlife.

In a March 2022 interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Renée reflected, “She’s always trying her hardest.” She added that the thought brought a smile to her face, especially considering how things unexpectedly fell into place.

As their relationship grew, the actress, who is from Chicago, moved to live closer to Anstead and his youngest child, settling down outside of the traditional Hollywood area.

In a January 2025 interview with British Vogue, she told Hugh Grant, her Bridget Jones’s Diary co-star, that she lives near San Diego, California, because that’s where her partner and his son reside.

Read on to see how the rest of their love story has unfolded over the last five years…

Ant shared his enthusiasm for the new book, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, by posting a photo of himself with a “Team Jones” sign. In a message on February 13, 2025, he wrote that the book is deeply touching and will resonate with fans. He also praised the author, Ren, for her heartfelt writing, and encouraged readers to enjoy the story.

Although Ant and Renée didn’t pose for photos together at the premiere of her movie, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, he did attend the London showing in January 2025 with his two older children, Amelie and Archie, from a previous relationship. He also shares a younger son, Hudson, with his ex-wife, Christina Haack, making it a family outing.

On January 31, 2025, Ant posted on Instagram, calling it a “midweek movie night with the kiddos.” He raved about the film and its star, jokingly admitting he had a crush on her and declaring her his “hall pass” – a comment he shared with his wife.

Renée agreed it was a memorable evening.

“It was a fun night,” she told TopMob News the following February. “We all had a really good time.”

When the trailer for Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy was released in November 2024, Ant McPartlin publicly praised Renée Zellweger. He posted on Instagram on November 12th, calling her “brilliant” and a “bloomin’ Bridget genius.” He even playfully messaged Renée’s co-star, Leo Woodall, hinting at a serious conversation. Others also shared their admiration for Renée, with one commenter recalling a treasured conversation. Ant agreed, saying she’s “the best human I have ever met!”

Actress Judy and a TV host joined author Libby June Weintraub and her husband, Stephen Weintraub, in Los Angeles to celebrate the release of Libby’s new book, She Was Born: Words on Loss and Liberation.

Ant shared this photo of the two kissing on their second anniversary in April 2023.

He also posted this pic of the couple walking hand in hand for the occasion.

And Ant called the milestone, “Two years of magic.”

The former host of Wheeler Dealers also posted a picture from a romantic evening with the Academy Award-winning actress, captioning it, “Always take a moment to appreciate magical moments under the lights…”

“This lady,” Ant wrote on Instagram in July 2022. “Pure. Class. Ren x”

The two caught a flight out of Los Angeles together.

Ant shared this animated image of the pair sharing a sizzling kiss on Instagram.

Oh my gosh, New Orleans just completely captivated me! I saw this post from October 2021 where someone said it best: wandering around late at night is incredible, and as a total history buff, I was absolutely blown away. The buildings are gorgeous, the mix of cultures is fascinating, and don’t even get me STARTED on the food! But honestly? It’s the people, the sounds, the smells… everything is just magical, especially when you’re with someone amazing to share it all with.

 

Ant shared a throwback photo on Instagram in April 2022, reminiscing about a moment from the set of Celebrity IOU: Joyride. He wrote that it had been a year since he and Renée finished filming, recalling sitting on a fire engine after gifting a car to two deserving men as a thank you from Renée. He reflected on how much can happen in a year.

After people started speculating about a romance, the couple was first seen together in public that July on the balcony of Ant’s new beach house in Laguna Beach, California.

Okay, so they met while filming Celebrity IOU: Joyride – can you believe it?! It was instant, honestly. They started dating pretty quickly after that, but at first, they were SO secretive about it! They didn’t want anyone to know, which just made me even more obsessed with finding out details, of course. It was adorable, though, seeing them try to keep things under wraps.

Ant revealed in August 2021 to TopMob News that he and Renée had become close, explaining they’d kept their relationship private until some photos were leaked. He also praised her work ethic, calling her a highly skilled professional who’s a great welder.

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2026-04-24 21:47