Renée Zellweger is “glad” she looks unrecognisable.
The actress caused a stir when pictures of her at the Elle Women in Hollywood event, held on Monday, emerged. It wasn’t her cute black Carolina Herrera dress that had tongues wagging, though – instead, everyone was commenting on her face, which seemed to have changed completely since her Bridget Jones days.
But amid the speculation about plastic surgery, the 45-year-old has remained calm.
"I'm glad folks think I look different! I'm living a different, happy, more fulfilling life, and I'm thrilled that perhaps it shows," she smiled to People magazine, adding the whole thing is “silly”.
“It seems the folks who come digging around for some nefarious truth which doesn't exist won't get off my porch until I answer the door."
For 2001’s Bridget Jones’ Diary and throughout the whole franchise, Renée sported a fuller figure and her signature round cheeks. Now her face seems to have thinned out and her frame is much slimmer.
The actress thinks some time out of the spotlight did her and her appearance the world of good.
"My friends say that I look peaceful. I am healthy," she continued. "For a long time I wasn't doing such a good job with that. I took on a schedule that is not realistically sustainable and didn't allow for taking care of myself. Rather than stopping to recalibrate, I kept running until I was depleted and made bad choices about how to conceal the exhaustion. I was aware of the chaos and finally chose different things."
The star is now also happily loved up with 45-year-old Doyle Bramhall II. She thinks it’s seeing her so “healthy” that catches people off guard.
"I did work that allows for being still, making a home, loving someone, learning new things, growing as a creative person and finally growing into myself," she explained.
"Perhaps I look different. Who doesn't as they get older?! Ha. But I am different. I'm happy."
