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Ant Anstead Gives Rare Update on Girlfriend Renée Zellweger
Ant Anstead is enjoying the ride.
The Born Mechanic host paid tribute to longtime girlfriend Renée Zellwegger, marking five years with the Oscar winner with a look back on their first meeting on the set of Celebrity IOU: Joyride in 2021.
“How it started…..” the 47-year-old posted on Instagram on April 23. “Happy FIVE YEAR anniversary my beautiful lady! Hands down The best human I know! Luckiest boy! I love you my Ren.”
Although Renée personally keeps a low profile about her romance, Ant—dad to kids Amelie, 22, Archie, 19, and Hudson, 6, from past relationships—is no stranger to gushing about the Bridget Jones’s Diary star, whose accomplishments he frequently celebrates on his social media pages.
When the 56-year-old actress was honored with a statue of her rom-com character Bridget Jones in London last November, he praised his girlfriend, saying, “Iconic.”
Over the years, the couple has offered small glimpses into their love story. Upon meeting on the Discovery+ show, Ant helped Renée build custom cars as gifts for nurses Jerome Cowan and Jerald Cowan, who cared for her late publicist and close friend Nanci Ryder until her death of ALS in 2020.
Despite the difficult circumstances that led her to Celebrity IOU: Joyride, the motor expert offered a silver lining in the Judy alum’s grief journey. She previously joked that Nanci may have brought Ant to her as a gift from beyond the grave.
“She’s always doing her best,” Renée mused in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar in March 2022. “It made me smile. It made me smile to think on this, yeah, the serendipity of it all.”
And as their relationship progressed, the Chicago actress has made a home outside of Hollywood near Anstead and his youngest child.
“I live in Southern California, near San Diego,” she told her Bridget Jones’s Diary costar Hugh Grant in a British Vogue published in January 2025. “Because that’s where my fellow lives, and his little boy.”
Read on to see how the rest of their love story has unfolded over the last five years…
Instagram / Ant Anstead
February 2025: No. 1 Fan
Ant expressed his excitement over the release of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy by posting a picture of him proudly holding up a "Team Jones" sign.
"It’s incredibly moving and will touch the hearts of Bridget fans deeply!" he wrote in part of his Feb. 13, 2025 message. "I am in awe of Ren and how she gives herself fully. Sit back and enjoy…… x."
Timmie/Splash
January 2025: Movie Premiere
And though they didn’t pose for pictures together on the red carpet, Ant attended the premiere of Renée’s movie Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy in London in January 2025. In fact, the evening was a family affair as he brought his two older children Amelie and Archie from a previous relationship (Ant also shares younger son Hudson with ex-wife Christina Haack).
“Midweek movie night with the kiddos….,” he wrote on Instagram Jan. 31, 2025. “The Movie was absolutely utterly brilliant and the lead actress was mesmerising and smoking HOT (I have a mega crush on her!) I’ve let the missus know she’s my hall pass….. X.”
And Renée had to agree it was an unforgettable evening.
"It was a fun night," the actress told E! News that February. "We all had a really good time."
Hanna Lassen/Getty Images
November 2024: Celebrating the “Best Human” He’s Ever Met
When the trailer for Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy dropped in November 2024, Ant couldn’t help but gush about Renée.
"The missus was busy being brilliant this summer….." he wrote on Instagram Nov. 12, 2024 alongside the footage, "she’s a bloomin Bridget genius!"
And Ant jokingly sent a message to Renée’s costar Leo Woodall, who plays one of her love connections in the film, by writing, "Oh And Leo… we need to quiet chat down a dark alleyway… x"
However, he wasn’t the only one giving her a round of applause. When an Instagram commenter recalled a past conversation with Renée and described it as "one of the most cherished moments," Ant replied, “I get it! she’s the best human I have ever met…..! X”
Ella Hovsepian/Getty Images
October 2023: Rare Public Sighting
The Judy star and the TV host celebrated the launch of Libby June Weintraub's book She Was Born: Words on Loss and Liberation with the author and her husband Stephen Weintraub in L.A..
Instagram / Ant Anstead
April 2023: Two Years Together
Ant shared this photo of the two kissing on their second anniversary in April 2023.
Instagram / Ant Anstead
April 2023: Couple's Hike
He also posted this pic of the couple walking hand in hand for the occasion.
Instagram / Ant Anstead
April 2023: Making Magic
And Ant called the milestone, "Two years of magic."
Instagram / Ant Anstead
January 2023: Date Night
The former Wheeler Dealers host also shared this photo of a romantic night out with the Oscar winner, writing, "Always Pause for moments of magic under twinkly lights…"
Instagram / Ant Anstead
July 2022: Loved Up
"This lady," Ant wrote on Instagram in July 2022. "Pure. Class. Ren x"
LionsShareNews / BACKGRID
July 2022: Jet-Setting Couple
The two caught a flight out of Los Angeles together.
Instagram / Ant Anstead
March 2022: PDA Alert
Ant shared this animated image of the pair sharing a sizzling kiss on Instagram.
Instagram / Ant Anstead
October 2021: New Orleans Trip
"WOW there is something very special about New Orleans!" he captioned this October 2021 Instagram post. "The late night wandering, the mind blowing history this nerd loves, the architecture, the blend of cultures, the food, the people, the smells and noises! All made made better by magical company to share it with..."
Instagram / Ant Anstead
April 2021: Where It All Began
"WOW! This just popped up in memories," Ant wrote on Instagram in April 2022, alongside a pic of him and Renée on the set of Celebrity IOU: Joyride. "One year ago today! Sat on the back of a fire engine on the final day of filming having handed two amazing men a car as a thank you from Ren. Amazing what can happen in just one year..."
Following romance rumors, the two made their first public appearance (off any red carpet) the following July on the balcony of Ant's new oceanfront home in Laguna Beach, Calif.
Discovery
2021: The Show That Sparked Their Love
The two started dating soon after meeting on the set of Ant's Discovery+ series Celebrity IOU: Joyride. However, they initially kept their relationship private.
"Everybody knows that Renée and I have become quite close because we kept it secret for a while and now, unfortunately, some pictures were taken and put out there," Ant told E! News in August 2021. "But it was a real pleasure to work with her. She's a super pro and she can weld."
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