Renée Zellweger isn’t exactly thrilled about boyfriend Ant Anstead making an appearance on the new HGTV show hosted by his ex wife Christina Haack (formerly known as Christina Hall), The Flip Off, a source exclusively tells Life & Style.
“Renée trusts Ant,” a source says of the actress, 55. “But she’s definitely wary of the situation.”
Christina, 41, was supposed to shoot the series with husband Joshua Hall, but the couple called it quits in July. While it’s uncertain if Ant, 45, will be cohosting the series, as all that’s been confirmed is an “appearance” on the show, the offer could not have come at a better time for the British presenter, whose supercar company filed for bankruptcy in October.
The real estate mogul even replied to a comment on Instagram calling the idea of bringing back her ex husband Ant “genius.” Without a doubt, the drama would spell high ratings for the show, even though Christina had also brushed off the idea initially, saying she “can’t work with more exes.”
But obviously her relationship with Ant must be different than her most recent ex husband, Joshua. The two were only married for a little over two years before Josh filed for divorce due to “irreconcilable differences,” in July 2024. They first got together right after Christina’s marriage to Ant fell apart, with those two splitting in June 2021. By July, she was seen holding hands with Joshua in the airport on their way to spend her 38th birthday together.
Around the same time, Ant was cozying up to his current girlfriend, A-lister Renée, whom he met on the set of Celebrity IOU Joyride in 2021.
“Look … everybody knows that Renée and I have become quite close, because we kept it secret for a while, and unfortunately some pictures were taken and put out there,” Ant said of their rumored relationship at the time, adding that it was a “real pleasure” to work with the actress on the show.
After his divorce from Christina, Ant began dating the Bridget Jones’s Diary star officially. Though, there were some initial hang ups about Ant’s relationship with his ex.
As Life & Style previously reported, Renée actually played peacemaker between the two in order to cut out some of the baggage her man was still carrying from his last marriage.
“She’s convinced Ant it’s silly to hold grudges and hated seeing him so worked up. Things are better now. She’s extended the olive branch to Christina, too,” a second source previously said.
Now that they’re all on great terms, the first source notes that Ant will be on his best behavior while filming the show, which is a big opportunity for the television presenter.
“Ant understands Renée’s apprehension about his working with Christina,” says the source. “But it’s a paying job, and he’s assured her everything will be fine.”
Another source that previously spoke to Life & Style confirmed that, while “Renée was a little nervous about Ant’s history with Christina,” the mistrust is “all gone now.”
