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From Jim Carrey to a country singer: Renée Zellweger's brief yet tumultuous relationships.

 

Renée Zellweger is back on our screens in the new Netflix thriller What/If. 

The 50-year-old actress has been a household name for more than two decades, with Bridget Jones Diaries really cementing her in our hearts.

After a few dud films, Zellweger took a six year break from work before making her return in 2016.

But it’s not just her career that’s had its ups and downs, Zellweger has also had a few very public and very rocky romances.

Here is the trailer to What/if, post continues after video.

Video by Netflix

Jim Carrey

Zellweger and funnyman Jim Carrey were an item from 1999 to 2000 after meeting on the set of Me, Myself and Irene.

The movie’s director told People magazine, Carrey fell for her immediately but she didn’t return the feelings until the end of the shoot.

Later, Zellweger told the same publication her life with The Grinch actor was “boringly wonderfully normal”.

Carrey told Entertainment Weekly his girlfriend was “absolutely a gem of a human being”.

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Actor Jim Carrey
The couple met while filming Me Myself and Irene. Image: Getty.

Carrey had already been married twice before and the National Enquirer claims their split was fuelled by an ultimatum from Zellweger who wanted a wedding date to be set.

"She told him she wasn't going to hang around as his girlfriend unless he promised to marry her within a year," a source told the publication.

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The source revealed that he did indeed propose, but the relationship wasn't smooth sailing due to his bipolar disorder and her temper.

"Renee also wants kids but Jim has a teenage daughter by his first wife Melissa and he's in no rush to have any more children," the source said.

In December 2000, Zellweger and Carrey's publicists confirmed their split saying that the couple "wanted different things".

Jack White

In 2002, Zellweger met Jack.

The rockstar frontman of The White Stripes swept her off her feet in Romania on the set of civil war epic Cold Mountain.

White Stripes in London
Jack White of the White Stripes performing in London in 2002. Image: hellestad/Corbis/Getty
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He'd been commissioned to write music for the show and also played Zellweger's husband.

They kept their relationship fairly private, but did make an appearance at the Oscars together in 2004.

Distance is said to have been a cause for their split. White wanted Zellweger to move to Texas but she was looking into property in Connecticut and the Hamptons.

It's also been reported the relationship dissolved over an incident where White hit a rival band member. He had to attend an anger management course after the violent outburst.

Zellweger's publicist said of their split: "They remain good friends. There's no scandal and no new relationships".

Kenny Chesney

Zellweger's romance with country singer Kenny was a whirlwind.

He'd had a crush on her for awhile, admitting that he wrote his hit song You Had Me At Hello after watching Jerry McGuire.

They met in person in January 2005 during NBC's tsunami relief telethon, and were married by May.

Kenny Chesney
Kenny Chesney performing in 2005. Image: J.Sciulli/WireImage/Getty.
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Their wedding was very small and secretive, with only 35 friends joining them on St. John in the Virgin Islands.

Four months later however, they'd broken up and Zellweger had filed for an annulment.

'Fraud' was cited as the reason.

Chesney told 60 Minutes they decided on that reason together believing it was less harmful than the other options of bigamy, insanity or force.

“The only fraud that was committed was me thinking that I knew what it was like… that I really understood what it was like to be married, I really didn’t," he told the show.

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In 2010, Chesney told Oprah it fell apart because he panicked.

Bradley Cooper

Zellweger met Bradley Cooper on the set of thriller Case 39 in 2006, and they became an item in 2009.

They kept their relationship very private but Cooper did tell Entertainment Tonight "I can't say enough about her".

They never officially confirmed their relationship but were frequently spotted out together.

They split in 2011 allegedly because Cooper's rising fame got in the way.

Bradley Cooper
Bradley Cooper at the premiere of "The Hangover" Image: Michael Tran/FilmMagic/Getty.
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At the time, Zellweger was on a career break but Cooper was basking in the success of The Hangover after years in supporting roles.

A source told US Weekly, "Renee had to take a backseat. She travelled with him to make it work. She's accomplished a lot of her professional goals so took some time out to be a great girlfriend and see if this is what it took to make a relationship work".

Zellweger moved from New York to LA to be closer to Cooper.

The source who spoke to US Weekly revealed they "just couldn't keep things together. It was just not working out".

Doyle Bramhall II

Zellweger and the singer songwriter/producer started dating in 2012, two years after he split from his ex-wife with whom he shares two children.

They'd met years earlier at the University of Texas in the early nineties.

According to E!News, the actress was supporting him financially while he dealt with his messy divorce, paying for his expenses in excess of $85,000.

She'd also been paying off his credit cards that added up to about $7000 AUD a month.

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Zellweger
Renee and Doyle in 2014. Image: Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty.

In 2017, Zellweger told Us Weekly Bramhall was a "very special person".

But in May 2019, Radar Online reported they have gone their separate ways.

"Doyle's touring with Eric Clapton and Renée’s been filming in Los Angeles," they said.

Apparently they've been living separate lives for awhile now.