Renée Zellweger and Boyfriend Ant Anstead’s Full Relationship Timeline

Ant Anstead and Renée Zellweger first met on the set of his show, Celebrity IOU Joyride, where she wanted to honor two brothers who supported a sick friend. She herself was rewarded with a new romance that seemed to get serious quickly. Three years later, the couple is reportedly living together and integrating their lives and families.

The couple met in April 2021. Anstead had separated from ex-wife Christina Haack in September 2020, and their divorce was finalized in June 2021. They share one child, a little boy named Hudson. Anstead also has two children with his first wife, Louise Storey, a boy and girl named Archie and Amelie.

Here’s the full timeline of his relationship with Zellweger so far.

April 2021

Zellweger appeared on Anstead’s Discovery+ show, Celebrity IOU Joyride, in April 2021. The program is dedicated to refurbishing cars for deserving people, and they often have celebrities on to make the gift even more special. Zellweger had a particular connection to the twin brothers who got new cars, Jerome and Jerald. The pair worked as caretakers for Zellweger’s friend and former publicist, Nanci Ryder. Ryder was diagnosed with ALS in 2014 and passed away in 2020.

Anstead and Zellweger hit it off immediately.

June 2021

By June, rumors of them being a couple were circulating. A source told People that they surprisingly had a lot in common.

“Sometimes two people just meet and click, and the timing is right,” the insider explained. “Renée is creative…and often goes for guys who think out of the box. She’s smart, thoughtful, and always looking to expand horizons and nurture those around her.”

They added, “Both of them are private and dislike public scrutiny, so they have that in common. He’s a creative guy with lots of interests, and she likes to write and produce, so they have things to talk about when together.”

July 2021

On Fourth of July weekend, the couple were seen at Anstead’s beach house in Laguna Beach, California, drinking coffee on his balcony.

August 2021

By August, they were seen on a public date, attending the Radford Motors gala at the Lyon Air Museum in Santa Ana, California. Anstead is credited for helping with the new Lotus Type 62-2 coach-built sports car revealed that evening.

Real Housewives of Orange County cast member Lydia McLaughlin shared photos with her husband, Doug, and the new couple.

During an appearance that month on E!’s Daily Pop, Anstead said, “Look…everybody knows that Renée and I have become quite close, because we kept it secret for a while, and unfortunately some pictures were taken and put out there.”

He also spoke to Entertainment Tonight about his show and his girlfriend. “One thing I think that really comes across in the show, is that this is an opportunity to see a little bit behind the curtain,” he started. “Renée in particular, she doesn’t give herself freely outside of movies. She’s a very private person, and that’s something I really love about her. …I love that she can weld. You get to see a side of her that was really real, and she really shared that, and I think that applies to all the celebrities.”

September 2021

On September 16, 2021, the couple went Instagram official with a sweet black-and-white photo on his account.

He also shared with People, “Renée and my relationship is something that’s really private. It’s something I’m not really willing to talk too much about. It’s really early in our relationship, and I don’t want to put any pressure on that.”

He added that the Academy Award winner had hit it off with his daughter Amelie.

“She and Ren really hit it off. Just as two girls,” he said. “Amelie’s amazing because she’s so talented and funny, and she has this strand of kindness just running through her. She’s just this really kind, solid human.”

That month, a source told People, “There is so much respect between them. They spend as much time as possible together when they aren’t working on other projects. They truly like each other as well as their romantic attraction. The relationship is serious.”

They added, “Renée has found love again, a love where she feels confident and secure about herself. And Ant, too, has had a lot of ups and downs, but seems to have stability in this romance.”

October 2021

Anstead shared a photo of the couple enjoying a kiss.

Anstead was visiting Zellweger that month in New Orleans, where she was filming her series, The Thing About Pam. He told Entertainment Tonight, “We wandered into this little jazz room, and it was really amazing. She’s a good traveler, and she’s been to that city before, so it’s nice. Looking forward to getting back.”

December 2021

Anstead told Entertainment Tonight in December about his holiday plans, saying, “I have got a new home. This will be my first Christmas in my new home.”

When asked about Zellweger and Christmas, he admitted that “there are plans” to see each other, but they were “both very busy.”

An insider told Us Weekly that they were planning to spend New Year’s Eve together. “[They] can’t wait to see what the new year has in store for the both of them,” they said.

April 2022

In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Zellweger spoke publicly about Anstead, mentioning her friend Ryder. When asked if the late publicist had brought the couple together, she replied, “Yeah, we do joke about that. She’s always doing her best. It made me smile. It made me smile to think on this, yeah, the serendipity of it all.”

That month, Anstead shared a throwback photo from their first meeting on Instagram.

May 2022

In May 2022, an insider told Us Weekly that Zellweger was getting along really well with Anstead’s youngest son, Hudson.

“Renée’s really bonded with him, and Ant loves how doting and caring she is with his kids when they’re all together,” the source said, adding that Zellweger “loves taking trips to the park and long walks on the beach [with them].”

“They’re deliberately uncomplicated in that way—no airs or graces and totally down to earth,” said the insider. “It’s all very positive and calm whenever they’re together with Hudson.”

August 2022

Zellweger told The Sunday Times in August 2022 that she wasn’t very interested in any gossip about her relationship. She said, “Yeah, well, I don’t pay much attention to any of that.”

She clarified that she doesn’t pay attention to social media: “I don’t think it would be a good thing for me. I have a list of things I like to get done every day.”

October 2022

A source told Us Weekly that the couple “are so happy and super excited to be mapping out their long-term future together,” but they have “deliberately downplayed wedding talk even though it’s something they’ve both been leaning toward for a while.”

The insider added, “They’ve taken their time to do this right, living in separate houses and not rushing into anything. They’re trying not to get too far ahead of themselves and are both extremely private when it comes to their exact arrangements, but friends think an engagement could be very soon.”

January 2023

In a post on Instagram, the couple can be seen dancing in a dark courtyard.

April 2023

A source told People that the couple had “found a house that they both love and are moving in together.”

“They are very happy and in love. They have tried to keep their relationship private and low-key because of Hudson,” the source added.

For their two-year anniversary that month, Anstead shared a cute reel of special moments together.

October 2023

They were photographed together at the launch of Libby June Weintraub’s book She Was Born: Words on Loss and Liberation.

February 2024

On Monday, February 26, Anstead commented on a friend’s Instagram post who had just visited their home. He later shared them in his Instagram Stories with a reference to his “Ren.”

“Come back already!!!! 🇺🇸🇺🇸 Cali calls for you! Ren and I have the spare room poised x,” he wrote.

April 2024

Zellweger planned to move to the U.K. to film Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. A source told People that Anstead would be relocating to London for the duration of her shoot to be close by.

“Ant is going over to the U.K. with Renée while she is filming [Bridget Jones’s Diary 4] later this year,” the insider claimed. Anstead is British and was also “excited to spend time with his older kiddos,” Amelie and Archie, who are in the country.

On April 30, Anstead was photographed kissing Zellweger in London at his son Archie’s rugby game.

May 2024

Anstead shared a picture of himself on Sunday, May 26, enjoying the country and sitting in front of a car.

“A happy place ❤️🇬🇧 x,” Anstead wrote in the caption.