Ant Anstead and Renee Zellweger Are Planning to Elope: ‘They Want to Make It Official’

It was time to move on. Last year, Ant Antead sold his Laguna Beach, California, home – quirky place with ocean views he’s lovingly dubbed Temple House – and took a leap of faith: The former Wheeler Dealers host moved in with his girlfriend, actress Renée Zellweger.

The next step? Marriage! In April, the British police officer turned car builder, 44, and the two-time Oscar winner, 54, marked what he called “two years of magic.” Now, with their three-year anniversary just around the corner, In Touch has learned that Ant and Renée — who fell for each other when she appeared on a 2021 episode of his show Celebrity IOU: Joyride — “are planning to run off and tie the knot,” says a source exclusively to In Touch. “They’re madly in love, and they want to make it official.”

Intimate Affair

They also want to keep things under the radar. “They’re thinking of an elopement, something very intimate — they don’t like to make a fuss,” says the source, explaining that the pair would love to exchange vows in front of Ant’s three kids, Archie, 17, and Amelie, 20 — his U.K.-based teenagers with his first ex-wife, Louise Storey — and Hudson, 4, his son with ex Christina Hall, 40. “The kids would just love to be a part of the wedding,” says the source. “And they want their parents to be happy.”

Ant and Renée will soon have the chance to see his older children more often. A new report reveals she is due to start filming the fourth movie in the Bridget Jones franchise in the U.K. in May. “She and Ant are looking for a place to stay in London while Renée is working there,” says the source. “They may even look for something more permanent and split their time between England and the States. Ant wasn’t able to take Hudson to Britain until last year because of custody restrictions, but now he can, so he and Renée will definitely be spending more time there.”

The Stars Align

This relationship was an unexpected surprise for both Ant and Renée, who have marveled at how lucky they are to have found each other after decades of failed relationships. “Sometimes things come to you at the right time, and actually the right time is often the most unexpected,” Ant has said. “[Things] collide at the most obscure times when you least expect them.”

For her part, Renée — whose high-profile exes include actors Jim Carrey, 62, and Bradley Cooper, 49, and musicians Kenny Chesney, 55, and Jack White, 48 — is awestruck by “the serendipity of it all.” Says the source: “Ant’s never been happier — and neither has Renée. He can’t wait to make her his wife. And to think, if she’d never guested on Celebrity IOU: Joyride, none of this ever would have happened.”