Ant Anstead recently confirmed that he is dating actress Renee Zellweger, and now the couple has gone Instagram official. Anstead took to the social media site to share a photo of himself and Zellweger with his Celebrity IOU: Joy Ride co-host, Christy Lee. Anstead and Zellweger met because she was the special celebrity guest on this new season of the reality series.
“It’s finally here,” Anstead wrote in the photo caption. “The first episode of [Celebrity IOU: Joy Ride] is available on [Discovery Plus] Monday the 23rd!!” He then added, “And it’s the incredibly magical Renee Zellweger!” Finally, Join [Cristy Lee,] Ren and me as we pay it forward to two amazing men that gave so much to one of Ren’s dearest and closest friends.”
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Anstead and Zellweger had been rumored to be dating, and the speculation seemed to be validated when photos of them getting close emerged online. Eventually, Anstead opened up publicly and confirmed that he and the Chicago actress were, in fact, dating. Talking to E! News on the Daily Pop, Anstead explained that the pair fell for one another while they were filming the Discovery+ docu-series.
“Everybody knows that Renรฉe and I have become quite close because we kept it secret for a while and now, unfortunately, some pictures were taken and put out there,” Anstead explained. “But it was a real pleasure to work with her. She’s a super pro and she can weld.”
Lee jumped in as well, joking, “I mean, honestly I’m disappointed, because I thought her and I were going to start dating afterwards. I was like, ‘Wait, Ant, what?’” Lee quipped. “But she was amazing. We worked on some awesome projects. The sparks that I saw flying were definitely the sparks with the welder and the grinder, pulling the roof off the Ford Bronco. She just got right in there.”
Anstead’s budding relationship with Zellweger comes almost a year after his divorce from ex-wife Christina Haack. In September 2020, Haack announced that she and Anstead had separated. “Ant and I have made the difficult decision to separate,” she wrote in a social media post, alongside a photo of the pair.
“We are grateful for each other and as always, our children will remain our priority,” Haack continued. “We appreciate your support and ask for privacy for us and our family as we navigate the future.” In November, it was revealed that she had formally filed for divorce.
