Unexpected hookups aren’t unusual in a town like Hollywood that's filled with good-looking celebs, but some left-field relationships still do stand out every so often. That seemed to be the case with two-time Oscar winner Renee Zellweger and television host Ant Anstead, who shocked fans as one of the most undercover celeb couplings out there. The pair flew under the radar for months before paparazzi photos came out, and never really addressed anything publicly after being exposed. But now Anstead has finally opened up a little about his and Zellweger’s growing relationship.
Coming out of a public divorce with ex Christina Haack, it’s understandable that Ant Anstead and Renee Zellweger would want to keep their relationship on the down-low. Not to mention Zellweger being known as fiercely hands-off when it comes to her personal life. But just because she and Anstead seemed to be kindred spirits in that respect doesn’t mean the press would automatically sidestep asking a million questions about their relationship. Speaking with E! News, the Celebrity IOU: Joyride host said this about his and Zellweger relationship.
Look … everybody knows that Renee and I have become quite close, because we kept it secret for a while, and unfortunately some pictures were taken and put out there.
Given the nature of the couple’s relationship, the television host seemed fairly reluctant to answer with anything more specific. But when you look at it, both Ant Anstead and Renee Zellweger have been in public relationships before, and both have also been been burned by personal life details being publicized. So, maybe they wanted their relationship to grow organically to a certain point without the pressure of the Hollywood spotlight. Plus, Zellweger and Anstead might not have wanted fans to judge their relationship in connection to their careers and other ventures. On the plus side, it’s nice to know Anstead is a gentleman when it comes to protecting the actress’s privacy.
When news first broke that Anstead and Zellweger were dating, some were a little thrown off by the news, while others were curious about how they met. It was while he was hosting his new Celebrity IOU spinoff, which she guest-starred on, that sparks began to fly between Ant Anstead and Renee Zellweger. Meeting your significant other on a Property Brothers-adjacent show is apparently the way to go (just ask Drew Scott).
While Ant Anstead seemed bashful about sharing all kinds of relationship details, he and Zellweger have given fans a small peek into their date nights, or at least one of them. A moment like that is a nice way to quell fans' thirst for some PDA on their own terms, without tabloid interference. Hopefully, Hollywood’s new couple will continue to give more and more romance-heavy peeks as time goes by.
From the way Ant Anstead gushed about the Oscar winner, they seem to be a good match with some shared interests, not that it's our business what all those interests are. Until the couple decides to make their red-carpet debut, viewers can watch how Ant Anstead and Renee Zellweger’s relationship began when Celebrity IOU: Joyride premieres on Discovery+ on Aug. 23.
