Renée Zellweger - How LOVE saved me

THE STAR OPENS UP ABOUT FINDING HAPPINESS AFTER HEARTBREAK

- Jennie Noonan

Notoriously private actress Renée Zellweger has revealed details of the fate-filled path that led her to find love with British TV presenter Ant Anstead in a cover story for Harper's Bazaar.

In the wake of the success of her return to acting in Judy, she flicked the TV on to see Brad Pitt's episode of Celebrity IOU. The reality-lifestyle series features stars celebrating people who have helped them along the way in Pitt's case, his long-term makeup artist Jean Ann Black) by having Drew and Jonathan Scott - aka The Property Brothers - renovate their homes.

JOY AT LAST

"Sometimes two people just meet and click, the timing is right," says a source. "Renée is creative and often goes for guys who think out of the box. She's smart, thoughtful and looking to expand horizons and nurture those around her."

Still mourning the loss of her friend and long-time publicist Nanci Ryder, who died at age 67 in June 2020, Zellweger reached out in hopes of honouring the nurses who'd cared for Ryder, who had ALS. As a result, she would wind up the subject of the first episode of the show's spin-off, Celebrity IOU: Joyride, which would feature host Anstead rebuilding classic cars for deserving recipients.

When asked by Harper's Bazaar about whether she credits Ryder for her meet-cute with Anstead, Zellweger responded, “Yeah, we do joke about that. She's always doing her best. It made me smile to think on this, yeah, the serendipity of it all.” Since their on-camera introduction in June 2021, the couple has been going strong.