Latest news with #AntAnstead
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Renée Zellweger and Ant Anstead shut down split rumours
On Thursday, editors at the Daily Mail claimed the Oscar-winning actress and TV personality had been "living apart for the past year". They also alleged Anstead has been staying at the home of Julia French in Laguna Beach, California while Zellweger films the upcoming season of Only Murders in the Building in New York City. A source claimed the Wheeler Dealers co-host had been living in an apartment on French's property since he moved out of his rental in April. However, a representative for Anstead later shut down the report.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Inside Renée Zellweger's Bridget Jones curse: How unlucky-in-love star annulled her first marriage after just four months before a string of failed A-lister romances - as it's revealed she's 'living apart' from British toyboy
It's fair to say that Renée Zellweger has struggled to find her Mr Darcy - with her first marriage to Kenny Chesney annulled after just four months. But loyal fans of the 56-year-old Oscar winner had hoped she had finally broken her so-called Bridget Jones 'curse' after falling in love with British TV host Ant Anstead, who is ten years her junior. However, reported today that the Wheeler Dealers host and the A-lister have been living apart for the past year, after he was spotted staying overnight at the Laguna Beach home of divorcee and spin instructor Julia French, 36, while Renee filmed in New York. Anstead, who is facing bankruptcy for his car company and has seemingly been selling off his assets, has since pushed back against the speculation. 'Mr. Anstead is working mostly in the UK, and he has spent some of his limited time back in [Orange County] at his friend's home,' the TV presenter's representative told Page Six on Thursday. 'His friend Jules has a separate, detached guest house, and the suggestion that their relationship is anything other than platonic is unacceptable and untrue,' they added, before confirming that 'Mr. Anstead and Ms. Zellweger are still together.' The couple, who began dating in 2021 and are notoriously private about their relationship, have not been seen together in public since early March when they were snapped supporting Anstead's young son at a football game. If Renée's relationship is turning sour, it wouldn't be the first time that she's been unlucky in love, with the American actress mirroring her famous British character when it comes to both having frequent romantic struggles. Read below to explore the star's relationship history - from Bradley Cooper to Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey (1999-2000) Sparks flew between the actress and her co-star Jim Carrey on the set of their 1999 movie Me, Myself and Irene. After wrapping filming on the comedy, the pair began dating and attended the 2000 Golden Globes together. Despite the brief length of their relationship, he described her as the 'great love of' his life in his 2020 semi-fictional book, Memoirs and Misinformation. Two decades after calling it quits on their whirlwind romance, he also referred to his ex as someone 'very special' to him. 'I think she's lovely,' he said on The Howard Stern Show. While their film's director, Bobby Farrelly said that Carrey 'flipped for her immediately', she was hesitant to mix business and pleasure. At the time, she told CNN: 'I liked him, a lot, but you're not going (to the set) for the love connection... When the picture wrapped, we'd spoken a couple of times on the phone and then all those rumours came out that I was dating him. I was so mad.' After denying the rumours, she joked about getting home and thinking: 'God, I do miss him.' Ahead of their breakup, Renée proudly called their relationship 'a very unexpected, wonderful thing.' In the same interview with Entertainment Weekly, he gushed: 'She's a very connected person. She thinks having a good time is renting a U-Haul and taking furniture to Texas. She's real in that way and I absolutely love it.' Speaking about their relationship, Renée told The Guardian: 'We have business associates in common and a couple of mutual friends, so I'd known about him and said hello and things for a long time, and then met him a couple of years ago at a dinner party. So I'd known him for a while.' Despite speculation they were engaged during their one-year romance, she denied the claims to Cosmopolitan in 2003. 'I'd only been dating him for three months. As if I would consider marriage after only three months!' she mused. Jim was married to Melissa Womer from 1987 to 1995, and Lauren Holly for a year in 1996, and also dated Jenny McCarthy for five years until 2010. Jack White (2003-2004) Three years later, the native Texan found love on set again, this time while shooting the 2003 civil war epic Cold Mountain, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her fateful meeting with rocker Jack White, who is six years her junior, led to them dating for a year and a half. Jack had been commissioned to write music for the movie, and had a small role playing her husband. Although the couple rarely spoke about their relationship, they made a public appearance together at the 2004 Oscars. During their relationship, he infamously got into a physical altercation with his bandmate, Jason Stollsteimer, which he pled guilty to, according to Rolling Stone. He was fined $500 and sentenced to court-appointed anger management classes for his assault and battery charge. Upon announcing their breakup, the actress' spokesman said in a statement: 'They remain good friends. There's no scandal and no new relationships.' Kenny Chesney (2005) Renée and country music singer Kenny Chesney experienced a meet-cute worthy of a rom-com, after both attending NBC's Concert of Hope tsunami aid telethon in January 2005. After reportedly hoping to meet him at the event, and pass him a flirty note, a source told People that once the 'broadcast wrapped' he approached Renée and said: 'I hear you are trying to pass me a note - don't let the principal find out.' Two years prior, he listed her as one of the three sexiest people on earth in 2002 during a chat with The Tennesseean, alongside, Charlize Theron and Janet Jackson. 'Here's a country girl who's still down to earth,' the singer said. 'That makes her really, really sexy. Plus she seems like the kind of girl who could fit in and be at home anywhere.' Months after discovering their mutual crush on each other, Renée confirmed they were a couple by bringing him a margarita and sharing a kiss with him on stage at one of his concerts. After three months of dating, they wed on the island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. But to the world's shock, just four months later, in September 2005, she filed to annul their marriage, citing 'fraud' as the reason. Neither has provided any further information on their split, but she said that it made her 'said' to see widespread speculation that their marriage failed because Kenny was 'gay'. 'It made me sad that somehow people were using that as a way to be cruel and calling someone gay as a pejorative, which has fateful consequences,' she told The Advocate in 2016. As for why she remained silent as the allegations swirled, the performer responded that she wasn't in the habit of pouring her heart out to the tabloids. 'I'd said all I needed to say on that subject. I'm an old-fashioned gal who doesn't feel it's appropriate to hang out your laundry on the lawn,' she told the publication. 'I feel you devalue yourself as a human being when you share very personal things with a bajillion strangers who are making fun of you. I just don't see that there's any dignity in that.' She did go on to acknowledge, though, that 'sometimes it is difficult to just let something be what it is, especially when it's unnecessary ugliness.' In 2007, Kenny shut down the rumours and said they were simply 'not true.' 'I didn't have to prove to anybody that I wasn't. I didn't feel like I really did,' he said in a 60 Minutes interview Bradley Cooper (2009-2011) Like several of her high-profile relationships, the Judy star fell hard for another handsome co-star after meeting Bradley Cooper on set of their film Case 39 in 2009. While they both stayed tight-lipped about their time together, Bradley couldn't help but sing her praises in one interview. 'I just love her. I [loved] coming to work. I love acting with her. I can learn so much from her,' he told ET in 2010. She told the outlet that he is 'a great, great actor' and admitted to being 'so excited' to get to 'work with him.' They went on to move in together that same year, but parted ways in 2011. Following the death of his father, Charles Cooper, she skipped the Golden Globes to be with him, according to People, who reported she was 'close to Cooper's mom, Gloria.' Both were coming off of brief marriages at the time of their relationship since Cooper was married to actress Jennifer Esposito in 2007 for a four-month frame. An insider told US Weekly in 2011 that the Hollywood relationship crumbled under the weight of Cooper's burgeoning career. 'If I had to pick any possible mistress it would be Brad's career. He worked really hard to get into leading man status' while 'Renee had to take a backseat' and even 'traveled with him to make it work.' The source noted that Renée, at the time, had 'accomplished a lot of her professional goals' and 'took some time out to be a great girlfriend and see if this is what it took to make a relationship work.' Eventually, the source said that Renée 'stopped fighting' to keep it working. 'It was just not working out,' the source added. However, the pair were reunited in 2020 at the Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, where they were pictured enjoying a brief chat with one another. Doyle Bramhall II (2012- 2019) Renee and Doyle Bramhall, 55, who is now in a relationship with supermodel Elle Macpherson, dated for seven years before it was revealed in 2019 they had parted ways. The former couple met when they were just students at the University of Texas in the early nineties. In 2012, two years after Doyle ended his marriage, they decided to give dating a try. Though they never considered a romantic relationship during their college days, the two made up for lost time as they stuck by each other's sides from 2012 to 2019. Upon speaking about their romance in 2015, she gushed: 'Isn't he cute? He's a very sweet man. I'm very, very happy right now,' the star told People. According to documents, obtained by E! News, he lived for free with her and she paid his credit card bills in the midst of his separation from his former spouse, Susannah Melvoin. The site reports that Renee had been subbing the credit card fees which varied between $4,000 to $5,000 a month, with the court documents detailing that this was a loan and a repayment was expected. Renee was also said to have paid for Doyle's expenses in 2015 that added up to nearly $60,000. During a hearing in Doyle's divorce from ex Susannah Melvoin, the judge ruled that Renee's income should not have any bearing on what the musician pays in spousal and child support to his estranged wife. Doyle, who also dated Sheryl Crow, was married to Susannah from 1997 to 2010 and they have two daughters together. According to Radar Online, his jealousy contributed to the end of their longtime relationship. 'She and Doyle built a happy home life together and they even discussed adopting a baby together,' a source told the outlet in 2016. Ultimately, they 'drifted apart emotionally when they were separated for weeks at a time' and weren't 'able to rekindle the spark.' The insider added: 'Renee hit her breaking point over the jealousy issues.' But in May 2024, the pair appeared to be the friendliest of exes as the Bridget Jones star showed her support at his Royal Albert Hall gig in the British capital. Renee was pictured catching up with her old flame as they proved they are still on great terms following their split. The duo appeared delighted to see each other as they sweetly embraced inside the London venue. Ant Anstead (2021-present) Ant and Renée initially met while filming an episode of his series Celebrity IOU Joyride in April of 2021. But the couple have not been seen together in public since early March when they were snapped supporting Anstead's young son at a football game. reported that the pair have been living apart for the past year amid Ant's financial trouble. In recent years, he owned a multi-million-dollar house in the exclusive town of Laguna Beach, California, and was pictured in 2022 moving in with Renée in her $30,000-per-month clifftop home across the street. But for the past year he had downgraded to a modest, 832sqft, two-bed rental listed at $4,250 per month. Ant's spokeswoman told the small house he left over a month ago 'was rented solely by Mr. Anstead'. His landlord confirmed Renée was not on the lease. The Bridget Jones's Diary star, meanwhile, is currently in New York City filming a new season of popular Hulu show, Only Murders in the Building, while Ant was believed to be spending time in his home country, the UK, in recent weeks before returning to Laguna. His rep told he 'continues to remain private about his cherished personal relationship.' Renee's rep declined to comment. Meanwhile, a source close to the Bridget Jones star told they are still dating, despite living apart. But last week, Ant was spotted staying overnight at the home of wealthy 36-year-old Laguna woman Julia French, who goes by 'Jules'. Jules, who has worked as a certified spin instructor at Rhythm Ride Laguna Beach according to her Facebook page, is currently divorcing her hedge fund founder husband, James Hanna III, the father of her two young children. A keen-eyed observer told that in recent months Ant was even spotted meeting Jules on the beach for a sunset rendezvous, a romantic setting in the sought-after Southern California coastal town. However, the pair have never been seen engaging in any non-platonic behaviour. A source close to Ant claimed he had been staying in the apartment on the property since he moved out of his modest rented house around April. 'One of her kids goes to the same school as Hudson. When Ant's working late or needs childcare, Hudson goes back with Jules' kids. Then in the evening Ant picks Hudson up,' the source said. The French family are well-known in Laguna and own several properties around the elite seaside town. Her beachfront, five-bed home is worth an estimated $8million according to real estate site Redfin, and has a separate two-bed unit. A friend of French who helps manage her properties told last week that Ant had not been living at French's home. But the TV presenter was spotted returning to the clifftop mansion after watching his son Hudson's football game last Tuesday, the evening of May 20, his car was in the driveway at 7am the following morning, and he was later spotted emerging from the property for a coffee run with a male friend, suggesting he had slept over at the property that night. A source close to Renée said the actress is wary of having him move in with her, even after four years of dating. 'Renée currently has a rental in Laguna. When Ant lost his rental, the obvious thing would have been for him to move into the rental with Renée. But she doesn't want them cohabiting, so he has to find his own place to stay,' the source said. 'That's kind of how the relationship works.' Rumours have been swirling of the couple's potentially rocky relationship status as his financial woes mount. This month, Ant's supercar company Radford Motors filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Delaware court, which usually results in the liquidation of a firm. Ant even posted a video on Instagram saying he was selling his prized Land Rover Defender – though he revealed in the post that he had a 'new car incoming'. Responding further to story today, Anstead's rep responded that 'Mr. Anstead and Miss Zelwegger (sic) are still together.' The rep added: 'Mr. Anstead is working mostly in the UK, and he has spent some of his limited time back in OC at his friend's home. 'His friend Jules has a separate, detached guest house and the suggestion that their relationship is anything other than platonic is unacceptable.'
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Renée Zellweger and Ant Anstead shut down split rumours
On Thursday, editors at the Daily Mail claimed the Oscar-winning actress and TV personality had been "living apart for the past year". They also alleged Anstead has been staying at the home of Julia French in Laguna Beach, California while Zellweger films the upcoming season of Only Murders in the Building in New York City. A source claimed the Wheeler Dealers co-host had been living in an apartment on French's property since he moved out of his rental in April. However, a representative for Anstead later shut down the report.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Renee & Ant haven't been seen together since March as he faces financial ruin
and her British TV host boyfriend Ant Anstead have been living apart for the past year, has learned. The couple, who began dating in 2021, have not been seen together in public since early March when they were pictured supporting Anstead's young son at a soccer game. And Anstead, known for his roles in TV shows Wheeler Dealers and Born Mechanic, has instead been spotted staying overnight at the Laguna Beach home of a glamorous California divorcee while Zellweger has been in New York filming for a TV show. Anstead, 46, is now facing bankruptcy for his car company, a raft of lawsuits demanding over $3million, and has been selling off his assets. In recent years he owned a multi-million-dollar house in the exclusive town of Laguna Beach, California, and was pictured in 2022 moving in with Zellweger in her $30,000-per-month clifftop home across the street. But for the past year he had downgraded to a modest two-bed rental listed at $4,250 per month. Anstead's spokeswoman told the small house he left over a month ago 'was rented solely by Mr Anstead'. His landlord confirmed Zellweger was not on the lease. The actress, 56, is currently in New York City filming a new season of show, Only Murders In The Building, while Anstead was believed to be spending time in his home country, the UK, in recent weeks before returning to Laguna. His rep told he 'continues to remain private about his cherished personal relationship.' Zellweger's rep declined to comment. Meanwhile, a source close to the Bridget Jones star told they are still dating, despite living apart. But last week, Anstead was spotted staying overnight at the home of wealthy 36-year-old Laguna woman Julia French – who goes by the name 'Jules'. Jules, who has worked as a certified spin instructor at Rhythm Ride Laguna Beach according to her Facebook page, is currently divorcing her hedge fund founder husband, James Hanna III, the father of her two young children. An observer told that in recent months Anstead was even spotted meeting Jules on the beach for a sunset rendezvous, a romantic setting in the sought-after Southern California coastal town. The French family are well-known in Laguna and own several properties around the elite seaside town. Her beachfront, five-bed home is worth an estimated $8million according to real estate site Redfin, and has a separate two-bed unit. A friend of French who helps manage her properties told last week that Anstead had not been living at French's home. But the TV presenter was spotted returning to the clifftop mansion after watching his son's soccer game on the evening of May 20, his car was in the driveway at the following morning, and he was later spotted emerging from the property for a coffee run with a male friend. Anstead was spotted again later the following day on the beach, talking, smiling, and laughing with another glamorous young woman with tattoos, wearing a colorful bathing suit. After hanging out on the sand, the pair walked up to the two-bed apartment on Jules's property and entered. A source close to Zellweger said the actress is wary of having him move in with her, even after four years of dating. 'Renee currently has a rental in Laguna. When Ant lost his rental, the obvious thing would have been for him to move into the rental with Renee. But she doesn't want them cohabiting, so he has to find his own place to stay,' the source said. 'That's kind of how the relationship works.' Rumors have been swirling of Zellweger and Anstead's relationship's potentially rocky status as his financial and legal woes mount. This month Anstead's supercar company Radford Motors filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in Delaware court, which usually results in the liquidation of a firm. Anstead even posted a video on Instagram saying he was selling his prized Land Rover Defender – though he claimed in the post that he had a 'new car incoming'. He or his company together are facing three lawsuits from customers who accuse him or his company of fraud and breaking contracts, claiming he or his company took their deposits, lied about progress on construction of a million-dollar sports car, then failed to deliver the vehicle or give the angry customers their money back, according to court papers. And the landlord of his Costa Mesa, California, workshop has reportedly filed to evict Anstead's company, claiming it continued to occupy the Orange County warehouse despite their lease being terminated. Office neighbors told no staff had been seen at the bankrupt company's workshop for over a week, but Anstead's spokeswoman said the landlord had 'withdrawn the claim which was made in error'. Palm Beach surgeon Scott Katzman, ordered a $1million Lotus race car designed for the famous Pikes Peak Hill Climb from Radford. But he says he got no car, and no refund of his deposit. Katzman and co-plaintiff Lamborghini Palm Beach filed a lawsuit in Orange County, California, on May 15 last year demanding $1,050,000 plus interest and 'exemplary and punitive damages' against Anstead and his two firms, Radford Motors P62, Inc and Finest Coachbuilding Group, LLC (FCG), for failing to refund him or deliver a car. Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, resident Pastor Velasco, also ordered a Radford car in March 2021 and paid a $100,000 deposit, he said. At the same time, he loaned Anstead's firm $2million at 12% interest. Velasco, who joined the board of Radford and secured his loan against the company's assets, filed a March 2024 Orange County lawsuit against Anstead's firm claiming it canceled the car contract and failed to finish repaying the loan or to refund the deposit. He is demanding $2.9million. A third plaintiff, Timothy Tasker, said he paid a $100,000 deposit in May 2022, but received no car or refund. Tasker's lawsuit filed against Anstead's firm in May last year says he believes that 'to date defendants have delivered no Type 62 Vehicles and that several people had submitted deposits similar to and in excess of the deposit paid by plaintiff and that those similarly situated individuals have likewise requested the return of their deposits without success.' Tasker and Katzman's lawsuits both accuse Anstead's company of 'fraud' for allegedly lying about his car-building progress and his plans to repay debts - and Katzman's suit names Anstead himself as an alleged perpetrator. Anstead has denied the legal claims and is contesting the lawsuits in court. His company called Velasco's lawsuit an 'ambush', and said the judge ruled that Velasco had 'bullied' FCG into the loan agreement which 'unjustly enriched Velasco through his own breaches of fiduciary duty'. A letter to customers from Radford's board said they had ploughed more money into the firm to try to save it and deliver orders, but that on legal advice they had recently appointed a trustee 'to administer and potentially sell the assets of the Company for the benefit of all stakeholders.' Action: Renee is currently in New York City filming for a new season of Only Murders In The Building Anstead's legal and financial troubles could be a case of life imitating art. Friends were telling in February that Renee put the brakes on her relationship with Anstead, revealing she had no plans of marriage to her real-life Mr. Darcy. 'Renee and Ant have been dating for over three years,' one insider said. 'She loves the relationship the way it is. 'She's seen so many couples, especially celebrities like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie who have happily dated, only to split not long after getting married. 'Why would she risk rocking the boat and rushing to take her relationship with Ant to the next level?' Responding to story today, Anstead's rep responded that 'Mr. Anstead and Miss Zelwegger (sic) are still together.' The rep added: 'Mr Anstead is working mostly in the UK, and he has spent some of his limited time back in OC at his friend's home. His friend Jules has a separate, detached guest house and the suggestion that their relationship is anything other than platonic is unacceptable.'
News.com.au
3 days ago
- Business
- News.com.au
Renee Zellweger's boyfriend Ant Anstead staying at rich divorcee's home while actress works in NYC
Renee Zellweger's boyfriend, Ant Anstead, has been taking up residence at the home of a rich California divorcee while the actress has been working in New York City, Page Six can confirm. According to the Daily Mail, Anstead, 46, was recently seen staying overnight at the Laguna Beach mansion of Julia 'Jules' French, a 36-year-old cycling instructor who is reportedly divorcing her hedge fund founder husband, James Hanna III. The outlet reported that Anstead was spotted arriving at French's home and that his car was still in the driveway the next morning. He was reportedly later seen emerging from the property. 'Mr Anstead is working mostly in the UK, and he has spent some of his limited time back in [Orange County] at his friend's home,' the TV host's rep exclusively told Page Six on Thursday. 'His friend Jules has a separate, detached guesthouse, and the suggestion that their relationship is anything other than platonic is unacceptable and untrue.' The rep made sure to add that 'Mr. Anstead and Ms. Zellweger are still together.' A source close to Anstead – who shares his youngest son, Hudson, 5, with his second wife, Christina Haack – told the Daily Mail that he 'moved into the apartment above the garage at Jules' place' after he moved out of his modest rental home last month. 'One of her kids goes to the same school as Hudson,' the source said, alleging that the two have had a 'flirtatious friendship going on.' However, his rep vehemently denied that allegation, telling us, 'The suggestion that Mr. Anstead is flirtatious is not true and is disrespectful to his four-year relationship.' According to the Daily Mail 's source, the car aficionado is dealing with financial woes (including bankruptcy for his supercar company and lawsuits demanding millions of dollars) and is 'trying to find another rental place.' Meanwhile, a source close to Zellweger — who is currently away filming Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building — told the Daily Mail that she is weary of having Anstead move in with her, even though they've been dating since 2021. 'Renee currently has a rental in Laguna [Beach]. When Ant lost his rental, the obvious thing would have been for him to move into the rental with Renee, but she doesn't want them cohabiting, so he has to find his own place to stay,' the source claimed, adding, 'That's kind of how the relationship works.' The couple has not been photographed together publicly since early March. Anstead's rep told the Daily Mail that he 'continues to remain private about his cherished personal relationship,' while Zellweger's rep declined to comment. However, a source close to the Oscar winner, 56, also said that they are still dating, despite living apart.
