Renee Zellweger Was Said to Be Enjoying Her ‘Beach Life’ with Ant Anstead — Inside Her Homes through the Years

• Renée Zellweger is frequently snapped on the Californian coast with her boyfriend, Ant Anstead, and his kids.
• The early 2000s and mid-2010s were busy times for building her real estate portfolio.

In the past two years, Renée Zellweger has shaken all comparisons to her lovelorn character in the “Bridget Jones Diary” franchise by being photographed falling in love with Ant Anstead. The pair have reportedly moved in together.

Although it is over 15 years since the actress was featured on Forbes’ 20 richest women in entertainment in 2007, she continues to make sound real estate purchases― and sales― now with her silver fox by her side.

The Academy Award winner met Anstead when she appeared on an episode of his show on Discovery +, “Celebrity IOU: Joyride,” in 2021. “[Renée] seems to love her new beach life in Laguna,” an insider told PEOPLE on October 21. They added:

“When Renée and Ant are not busy with work, they spend all of their time together.”

The couple went public a few days after Anstead’s divorce from HGTV personality Christina Haack was finalized. He has a toddler, Hudson, with Haak and two teenage kids, Archie and Amelie, with his first wife in England.

Zellweger has also had high-profile romances, including with “Me, Myself & Irene” co-star Jim Carrey and rock star Jack White. She was married to country crooner Kenny Chesney for four months in 2005 before having it annulled.

The paparazzi snapped the TV host with his arm around the movie star’s shoulder as he came in for a kiss early in their relationship in mid-2021.

They were also seen out and about on a pizza date with his children in a row, all dressed casually in athleisure wear. The actress was photographed holding Hudson’s hand near the beach in August 2022.

The Sun reported in mid-2023 that the couple are secretly engaged and planning their wedding. “She has been telling her inner circle about organizing their nuptials; everything will be very low-key,” a friend allegedly said. There has been no confirmation by the pair.

Zellweger was born and raised in Katy, Texas. Her family lived in a single-story brick home. Though she has said she “considers Austin home,” where she attended college, there is no record of her owning property in the state.

Not long after getting together with her Brit beau, she listed her ranch in the mountains of Topanga for one dollar shy of $6 million. She purchased the sprawling estate for $3,350,000 in 2015, per property records, and had done a “down to the studs” renovation.

It has high-end finishes, such as fireplaces built by a European stone mason, and a chef’s kitchen, and has spectacular views from every vantage point. The 4,414-square-foot residence eventually sold for $400,000 above asking price.

The actress, who could, at one point in her career, ask $15 million a movie, moved into a $30,000 per month five-bedroom beach pad just across the street from Anstead in Laguna Beach, Orange County, California.

Although it is prudent only to rent while she was getting to know the TV host better, Zellweger has held the deed to many a stately home on both coasts. She bought a 1770 farmhouse as a fixer-upper and weekend getaway in Pomfret, Connecticut in 2004.

“The town tends to appeal to people who like discretion,” a realtor said of the village of fewer than 4,000 residents. The Cotton Tavern estate featured a 3,463-square-foot main house built in the Colonial-Federal style with three bedrooms and a guest cottage.

The grounds boast amenities like a “recreation” barn of over 2,000 square feet, a swimming pool, and a helicopter landing area. “The Thing About Pam” star listed the estate in 2011 for $ 1.6 million.

“Socially, architecturally, and aesthetically, Pomfret is the embodiment of the old-fashioned American small town, ” Zellweger ruminated, “while it is simultaneously a culturally rich and sophisticated community.”

She said that one makes more friends in Pomfret in one’s first weeks in the small New England Town than one would over a lifetime in “most other places.” It is located just 42 miles from Connecticut’s capital.

She purchased an East Hampton abode for $2.15 million in 2003, only to sell it for $4.45 million a little over a decade later after a bidding war broke out in 2014.

For a year between 2002 and 2003, she called a $6.8 million six-bedroom mansion on Bellagio Road, Bel-Air home. Set on a lot of over half-acre, the 6,410 square foot house was designed by the famed architect Paul Williams.

In early October 2022, there was a flurry of activity outside Anstead’s Temple House in Laguna Beach. It was reported that his parents were over from the UK to help the reality star move into Zellweger’s rented property across the street.

His parents were spotted chitchatting with Zellweger outside the house, and her family was also seen around. Anstead coordinated with the movers, wearing a black T-shirt with jeans and flip-flops while doing much of the heavy lifting.

Some of his belongings, such as a neatly plastic-wrapped white couch, were taken to a nearby storage facility. Multiple artworks and other items were moved to the actress’ rental.

The “Judy” star was dressed comfortably for moving day in black patterned leggings, a black top with orange running shoes, and a matching cap. However, she did not stick around the whole day, looking pleased to take her two dogs for a walk.

The “Wheeler Dealers” mechanic put the property on the market for $3.3 million that month, only to delist it the following February. “It’s a special place,” he said at the time. In April, he confirmed that he had, in fact, let go of the home in an off-market sale.

“Temple is sold,” he said, explaining how the sale “came at the right time, for another property and a change in my personal life that I’m really pleased about. So I was like, yeah. I made the call there and then.”

According to a source, Renée Zellweger and Ant Anstead have “found a house that they both love.” Although the location of their new love nest was not disclosed, the reality star has said in the past that he is “absolutely” keeping “a base in and around Laguna.”