At 56, Renée Zellweger Opens Up About Her Short-Lived Marriage to Kenny Chesney

Nearly two decades after their whirlwind romance and famously brief marriage, actress Renée Zellweger has finally broken her silence about what she calls a “deeply confusing and painful chapter” of her life — her relationship with country music star Kenny Chesney.

Now 56 and enjoying a career renaissance, Zellweger opened up in a rare and candid interview with Vanity Fair, where she touched on everything from fame and aging in Hollywood to the emotional toll of her 2005 marriage and annulment.

“It was a blur,” Zellweger said, reflecting on the highly publicized four-month union. “I think we both went into it with the best intentions, but we were just not equipped for what it meant.”

A Marriage That Ended Almost Before It Began

Zellweger and Chesney married in May 2005 after just a few months of dating. Their beachside ceremony on St. John in the Virgin Islands stunned fans and tabloids alike. But the surprise turned to speculation when, by September of the same year, the couple had filed for an annulment.

Adding fuel to the fire was the reason listed in court documents: “fraud.” The term sparked endless rumors — some of them deeply personal and invasive — about what may have gone wrong.

At the time, Zellweger clarified that “fraud” was simply a legal term required for annulment in California and was “not a reflection of Kenny’s character.” But the damage to both reputations was already done, and the silence that followed only deepened the mystery.

“I Didn’t Even Know Who I Was”

In the new interview, Zellweger expressed regret over how the situation was handled publicly and emotionally. “I was at a point in my life where I didn’t even know who I was outside of the roles I was playing,” she admitted. “And suddenly I was someone’s wife, under a microscope, and completely unprepared for what that meant.”

She described the aftermath as a period of “emotional whiplash,” saying, “It felt like a nightmare—not because of Kenny, but because of how lost I felt in it all. It was too much, too fast, and too public.”

Chesney’s Perspective

Kenny Chesney has also rarely spoken about the marriage, though in a 2010 interview, he admitted that the idea of marriage “scared” him and that he wasn’t ready for the level of commitment it required.

“I panicked, plain and simple,” he said at the time. “I was not ready for it. That’s nobody’s fault but my own.”

Healing and Moving Forward

Both stars have moved on in their respective lives. Zellweger is currently in a relationship with British TV personality Ant Anstead, while Chesney has kept his private life largely out of the spotlight. Still, the brief marriage remains a defining moment in both their public narratives.

Now, with the clarity of time and growth, Zellweger says she holds no bitterness—just lessons.

“You learn who you are through heartbreak, too,” she said. “And that chapter taught me a lot.”