Two huge Hollywood names, and yet their relationship largely flew under the radar — nevertheless it’s true, Bradley Cooper and Renée Zellweger were in a serious relationship for a major chunk of time way back when.
Each talented, well-respected and simple on the eyes, they might have been an amazing match, so what went improper? Let’s delve through the celebrity relationship archives over again, where bootcut jeans and deleted tweets roam free …
The way it Began
They met on a movie set but, despite such big names being attached, there’s a powerful probability you haven’t seen the film in query. Horror movie Case 39 was shot in 2006, with Cooper and Zellweger playing best friends. After various setbacks, the project finally got its release in 2009 — and it was only then, on the promo trail, that the romance blossomed (perhaps they even bonded over all of the decidedly lukewarm reviews?)
By then, Cooper was just becoming a giant star, after breaking through in The Hangover, while Zellweger, six years his senior, was already seriously A-list.
How Long it Lasted
Two very low-key years. They broke up in 2011 but, over the course of their relationship, they were only photographed together a handful of times and never officially confirmed the romance. Zellweger was still only a number of years out from her five-month marriage to country singer Kenny Chesney, and understandably more cautious about going public along with her personal life.
In 2010, People reported that the couple attended the Sundance Film Festival together, in addition to spending a number of time hanging out at Cooper’s recent home in Pacific Palisades, California. And this clearly wasn’t an off-the-cuff thing — Zellweger was even photographed shopping at CVS with Cooper’s mom, Gloria. And when Cooper sadly lost his dad in January 2011, Zellweger skipped the Golden Globes to spend time with him in his native Pennsylvania.
At one point, there have been even engagement rumors, which their reps denied — while cleverly still not confirming the connection.
The way it Ended
There have been rumors of tension in February 2011 when the couple didn’t spend much time together at a pre-Oscars party but, a number of weeks later, Zellweger went along to the Inside The Actor’s Studio set to support her man.
By March, it was confirmed that the non-couple-couple had split after two years — and sources told Us Weekly on the time that their careers were responsible. “If I had to select any possible mistress, it will be Brad’s profession,” a source told Us. “He worked really hard to get into leading man status. Renée needed to take a backseat. She’s completed a number of her skilled goals, so Renée took some day trip to be an amazing girlfriend and see if that is what it took to make a relationship work.”
What They Said About Each Other
When Details asked Cooper concerning the relationship in 2009, his response was a disappointingly unjuicy “I just can’t” but, occasionally, the secretive duo did break cover to be nice about one another.
“He’s an amazing actor,” Zellweger told Entertainment Tonight in 2009. “I just got so excited, not believing that I used to be going to go to work with him.”
Cooper chipped in, “I can’t say enough about her. I just love her. I [loved] coming to work. I like acting along with her. I can learn a lot from her.” Sure, sure, it’s just her acting he loved …
What They Say Now
While neither party has talked directly concerning the relationship since (man, they’re good at this!), clearly there’s no major drama — in 2020, they were all smiles on the Oscars, chatting along with no side-eye or negative body language. So mature!
Ant Anstead continued to make headlines after his split from Christina Haack by sparking an A-list romance with Renée Zellweger. Anstead and Haack, who share son Hudson, were married for nearly two years before they announced their separation in September 2020. Anstead didn’t stay single for long, as he and Zellweger first sparked dating rumors […]
Key Relationship Takeaways
It’s interesting that, since dating Zellweger, now 56, Cooper, now 50, has largely gone for younger, barely less high-profile women, including Suki Waterhouse, Irina Shayk (they share a daughter, born in 2017) and now, after all, Gigi Hadid, 20 years his junior.
Zellweger, meanwhile, has finally shed her “unlucky in love” Bridget Jones popularity, since she’s been in a “cherished relationship” (in keeping with her reps) with British TV personality (and ex of Christina Haack) Ant Anstead since 2021.