Who Is Renée Zellweger’s Boyfriend? All About Ant Anstead

When Renée Zellweger and British TV personality Ant Anstead announced their relationship, there was much more to the story of their first meeting.

UK born and hosted Wheeler Dealers became a household name as Christine Haack’s car-loving husband and prankster on her HGTV show Christina on the Coast. But eight months after the couple announced their divorce in September 2020, Anstead moved on with the Oscar-winning actress.

PEOPLE confirmed that Zellweger and Anstead are dating after meeting in June 2021 on the set of his Discovery+ show, Celebrity IOU: Joyride, in which she appeared.

“There’s so much respect between them,” a source told PEOPLE in September 2021. “They spend as much time together as possible when they’re not working on other projects. They really like each other, as well as their romantic attraction.”

So who is the man who won Renée Zellweger’s heart? Here’s everything you need to know about Ant Anstead and his relationship with Judy actress.

He started his career as a policeman

Ant Anstead Instagram

Before turning his love of cars into a full-time job, Anstead was a policeman in his native England. His career in law enforcement began when he was 18 and ended at 25. He became one of the youngest armed police officers in the UK when he joined the tactical weapons unit at the age of 23.

“I knew I didn’t want to go down the education route with university etc. so I ended up as a police officer, and I can honestly say it’s the best decision I’ve ever made,” Anstead told Influx 2016 “I loved being in the police force… I received two commendations for bravery and faced a number of life-threatening incidents — which really opened my eyes to what people are capable of. When you’re standing in front of someone with a gun — that’s real fear — somehow makes it easier to stand on stage or in front of the camera.”

He wrote two books

Ant Anstead Instagram

The TV star also has a passion for writing. To date, he has written two books and mentioned plans for a third. In 2018, he published Cops and Robbers: The Story of a British Police Car and Gasoline Parenting: How to Diagnose and Care for a Gasoline — a children’s book for budding car enthusiasts.

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He played semi-professional football for 15 years

A true Briton, Anstead is also an excellent “soccer” player. Throughout his sports career, he played over 700 games in the Ryman League in the positions of goalkeeper and striker.

Anstead appeared on Kristina on the shore, playing in a recreational football league in California with his family cheering him on from the sidelines.

It is even more famous in England

In 2014, Anstead starred in the British series For the love of cars as a restoration specialist. He was also a charismatic mechanic Drivers and tradersanother car-centric show produced for Discovery UK and the Velocity Channel in the US

Anstead moved to California after joining the 14th season in 2017, but revealed in November 2020 that he would be leaving the series. Besides that joy, with Mary J. Blige, Octavia Spencer and James Marsden, Anstead appears alongside Property Brothers‘ drew Drew Scott Drew’s dream car on Discovery+.

During a trip to London early in his relationship with Haack, he documented how a fan recognized him while riding a pedicab in the city. The fan happened to be a policeman.

He is a world record holder

Ant Anstead/Instagram

Anstead holds the world record for the most expensive straight-six Aston Martin ever sold at auction. He restored and then sold the sports car for £150,000 (approximately $193,275).

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He has his own production company

In 2014, he started his own production company called Ant Anstead Limited. He also produced and starred in a TV documentary called The most expensive cars in the world in 2017.

He built his first car before he could drive

Ant Anstead Instagram

Anstead said that as a child he loved to build and fix anything he could get his hands on, even building his first car from a kit at the age of 16.

“Cars have always been my guilty pleasure,” he said Influx. “I didn’t even have a driver’s license, but I knew I wanted to build cars. I remember, as a 14-year-old, walking to the local cattle market and buying a lawnmower to power my wooden soap box…”

He is fighting for a cure for MS

Anstead actively supports Harrison’s Fund, a charity that hopes to find a cure for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The organization was named after a boy who is currently battling the disease.

On November 13, 2017, Anstead posted a photo of himself on Instagram with the Harrison’s Fund namesake. “We did an amazing thing this weekend raising over £50k for charity!” he wrote in the title. “So super proud of everyone involved and this 11 year old boy! Harrison is a legend!”

He thought Zellweger was British

Zellweger memorably portrayed the British fictional character, Bridget Jones, in three films, Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004) and Baby Bridget Jones (2016). She was so good at portraying a hopeless romantic that Anstead actually thought Zellweger was British before he met her.

In the introduction of the episode Celebrity IOU: Joyride that featured Zellweger, Anstead’s co-host, Cristy Lee, talked about Zellweger’s accent in the original film.

“Did you know that during the filming of the movie Bridget Jones’s DiaryRenée spoke with a British accent even when she wasn’t on set?” Lee told Anstead. “In fact, she continued to do so right up until the closing party!”

“Are you telling me that Bridget Jones – Renee Zellweger – is not British?” Anstead asked, to which Lee replied that Zellweger was actually from Texas.

“You’re like a dream breaker to me,” Anstead told her jokingly.

The Property Brothers are credited with introducing him to Zellweger

Ant Anstead Instagram

Although Anstead and Zellweger first met when she appeared in Anstead’s debut episode Celebrity IOU: Joyridespin-off series Celebrity bonds hosted by Jonathan and Drew Scott, better known as the Property Brothers.

During an April 2022 appearance on PEOPLE (The TV Show), Jonathan said they were “taking credit” for the pairing since Anstead’s show was based on their program. The Scott brothers also executive produce the show.

Drew said that if the couple ends up tying the knot, “he better be the ring bearer, that’s all I care about.”

He and Zellweger live together

In April 2023, a source told PEOPLE that the couple “found a house they both love and are moving into together.”

Anstead later confirmed the relationship milestone on Instagram. “Ren and I loved having you come over,” the TV host wrote in February 2024, replying to a friend staying at the couple’s home in California.

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Source: HIS Education