Why Renée is Red carpet Royalty…
From left: At the 53rd Cannes Film Festival in 2000; attending the Oscars in 2001; arriving for the London premiere of Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason in 2004; during a Beverly Hills banquet event in 2019; at the Oscars in 2013 marriage annulled four months later, with Kenny later admitting he “wasn’t ready” for the commitment.
renée’s longest public relationship has been with musician doyle Bramhall ii, the pair embarking on a romance in 2012, before splitting up seven years later.
Looking back at her romantic life, renée is the first to admit that some situations have mirrored Bridget’s. “All the things that you would most like not to have in common with Bridget are the things that i find i relate to most closely,” she said in 2020. “i’ve had moments when i feel like i’m sitting beside myself watching my Bridget alter ego just spiralling, circling the drain.”
however, it seems the actress has finally found her happily ever after with Ant, who she met while filming an episode of his series Celebrity IOU Joyride in April 2021. the couple now reside in california and have been living together for almost a year.
Keeping their relationship largely out of the spotlight, they have rarely spoken about each other in public. in 2021, when they had been dating for three months, Ant explained, “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.”
yet, they have since shared snippets of their love story via social media posts. renée clearly enjoys life with Ant, who has three children from two previous marriages.
renée turns 55 in April and, while much has changed throughout the years, getting older isn’t something that bothers her.
speaking in 2022, the actress said, “All those ads telling us we don’t need to look our real age if we just buy all their creams and their fixes and all that garbage they want to sell us. i’m like, ‘what, you’re saying i’m not valuable any more because i’m 53? is that what you’re saying?’”
Adding that ageing is something to embrace, renée said, “there is a big difference between being your absolute best, most vibrant self and wanting to be what you’re not. to be vibrant and beautiful you must embrace your age, otherwise, you are living apologetically and, to me, that’s not beautiful at all.”
when it comes to getting older, it’s clear that renée is keen to take Bridget along for the ride too.
in 2010, the actress took a four-year hiatus from acting, explaining she needed to “step away and grow as a person”. And after the break, it was quite fitting that one of renée’s first projects back was Bridget Jones’s Baby.
she hasn’t stopped since, most recently taking the lead in the 2022 crime miniseries The Thing About Pam. she also starred in the acclaimed 2019 biopic Judy in the title role of Judy Garland.
But Bridget is a character that has remained, and seemingly always will remain, in renée’s heart. And reprising the role has never been a difficult question. even before a fourth film was announced, renée was keen to get going.
“i know helen’s [Fielding] written the book and i love this character. so, i mean, if they call me, i’ll go running,” she said in 2019. “i love the idea of following a character throughout different stages in their life and being able to go back to them.
“i love Bridget. even before i played Bridget, i loved Bridget!”
‘I love the Idea of following a character throughout different stages In life’