Is Renee Zellweger Married? Meet Her Ex-Husband Kenny Chesney

Renée Zellweger has celebrated her status as a single lady in recent years, but it seems like that has changed. The actress is reportedly dating British TV star Ant Anstead.

According to TMZ, the pair hit it off after meeting during filming for an episode of his new Discovery+ show, Celebrity IOU Joyride, earlier in June. The speculation comes just days after his divorce from ex-wife Christina Haack was finalized.

Before making headlines for her relationship with Ant, Renée was romantically linked to Paul McCartney in 2007, Bradley Cooper from 2009 to 2011, and most recently, Doyle Bramhall II, from 2012 to 2019. At one point, she gave marriage a shot when she walked down the aisle with her ex-husband, Kenny Chesney.

Renée and the country superstar’s love story ended, however, and quickly as it began. The former couple formed an unlikely connection when they crossed paths in January 2005 at NBC’s “Concert of Hope” telethon, which was held to benefit the tsunami victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. According to a friend of the Judy star, Renée had plans to “pass [Kenny] a note” in an effort to make a move on him during the event.

Before she had the chance, Renée started chatting with the “You and Tequila” singer’s publicist and shortly after, the information was passed on. “When the broadcast wrapped, [Kenny went over [to Renée] and said, ‘I hear you are trying to pass me a note — don’t let the principal find out,'” the pal once told People.

From that moment, the Golden Globe winner and the “There Goes My Life” crooner started dating, though they kept their romance under wraps for months. By April, they confirmed they were a couple when Renée joined the hunk on stage during a concert. After hand-delivering him a margarita, the duo gave each other a sweet kiss.

Things only sped up from there. More than a week after making their debut in the public eye, Renée and Kenny shocked the world when they announced they married in May 2005. The ex-lovebirds exchanged vows on the beach during a private and romantic ceremony in the Virgin Islands, according to Good Housekeeping.

Just when things seemed to be going well, the Bridget Jones’s Diary actress and Kenny split after four months of marriage, in September 2005, per InStyle. At the time, Renée filed to annul their union and cited “fraud” as the reason, telling People “the term ‘fraud’ as listed in the documentation is simply legal language and not a reflection of Kenny’s character.”

To learn more about her ex-husband Kenny, scroll through the gallery below!

Kenny is a Country Music Star

Though Renée is an Oscar-winning actress, Kenny is successful in his own right as a country music singer and songwriter. Since rising to fame in the early 2000s, Kenny has recorded over 20 albums and has produced more than 40 Top 10 country singles, according to Billboard.

The star’s talent speaks for itself as he’s won countless accolades, including CMA Awards, ACM Awards, Billboard Awards and more.

Kenny Had a Crush on Renée Before They Met

Years before Renée and Kenny became a couple, the “American Kids” artist already had his eyes on the actress. In 2002, Kenny was asked by The Tennessean to name the “three sexiest people,” to which he chose Renée, as well as Charlize Theron and Janet Jackson.

“Here’s a country girl who’s still down to earth. You never see her coming, then — wham! — there she is. And that makes her really, really sexy,” he told the outlet. “Plus, she seems like the kind of girl who could fit in and be at home anywhere.”

Kenny Was Plagued by Rumors After Their Split

When Renée filed for their 2005 annulment, people began to speculate that “fraud” was code for “Chesney is gay,” according to InStyle. At the time, the Jerry Maguire alum addressed the rumors in a statement to People. “I would personally be very grateful for your support in refraining from drawing derogatory, hurtful, sensationalized or untrue conclusions and greatly appreciate your understanding that we hope to experience this transition as privately as possible,” she said.

However, Kenny still dealt with widespread rumors. He opened up to Playboy in 2009, explaining why Renée listed fraud as the reason for their split. “In order for us to get an annulment, the legal papers could claim either physical abuse, which wasn’t true, or three or four other things that also weren’t true,” he said. “The best thing we could put in there was fraud. So I said, ’All right, do it. Whatever.'”

Kenny Has Since Found Love

Throughout the years, Kenny endured a handful of failed relationships, but it all led to his current girlfriend, Mary Nolan. According to Country Thang Daily, the two have been dating since 2012. Though Mary has stood by her man’s side some of his country music events, he keeps a low-profile on their romance for the most part.