Bridget Jones star Renee Zellweger defends her character from woke mob and reveals why most Brits love her

THE calorie-counting, ideal-man-seeking Bridget Jones is the latest people for woke warriors.

This much-loved comic instauration of Helen Fielding’s best-selling books has been denounced arsenic “misogynistic” and “toxic” due to the fact that she does not find happiness successful being single.

But Renee Zellweger, who has played the bumbling Brit for astir a 4th of a century, thinks that is nonsense.

Ahead of the merchandise of the 4th and last Bridget Jones romcom tomorrow, the 55-year-old American histrion says: “I don’t find it toxic, successful my opinion. I emotion Bridget Jones. I’ve ever loved Bridget Jones, and I emotion her much with each reunion.”

Renee argues that women place with Bridget, who is simply a regular size, does the schoolhouse tally successful her pyjamas and experiences narration difficulties similar astir radical do.

She says: “I ne'er thought determination was thing incorrect with her.

“I’d ever thought of it much mostly arsenic a practice of however we prime connected ourselves astir things that are wholly of nary effect — be­cause she’s not an overweight person.

“And she’s cute and there’s thing astatine each incorrect with her oregon her experiences oregon wherever she is.

“It’s conscionable that relatable benignant of cosmopolitan acquisition of being acrophobic that you won’t measurement up.”

The backlash against Bridget has grown astatine gait successful the past fewer years.

Love Actually manager Richard Curtis, who co-wrote the screenplay for 2001 archetypal movie Bridget Jones’s Diary, apologised for making “fat” jokes aft his feminist girl Scarlett called him out.

There has besides been disapproval of Hugh Grant’s sexist brag Daniel Cleaver successful the archetypal film, who Bridget lusted aft contempt him commenting connected however bully her “t**s” looked successful her caller top.

But possibly the politically close critics are taking this 1990s comic instauration excessively seriously.

As Renee points out, Bridget is idiosyncratic who is capable to laughter astatine the unusual situations she finds herself in.

She says: “I deliberation the mode she manages it is comic due to the fact that she’s self-deprecating successful a mode we perceive that dependable successful our ain heads astir immoderate it mightiness be.

“But her optimism . . .  she’s ne'er defeated by it, she’s self-scrutinising and self-deprecating — but she’s laughing.”

Audiences surely loved the light, bawdy humour astir “big pants” due to the fact that Bridget Jones’s Diary was a container bureau success, earning £225million worldwide.

It was besides praised by critics, with Renee picking up a Golden Globe grant and an Oscar nomination.

Fans lapped up the follow-ups too, with 2004’s The Edge Of Reason grossing £215million astatine container offices, and 2016’s Bridget Jones’s Baby making £170million.

The caller movie, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, is expected to bash adjacent amended than the erstwhile 3 successful Britain, with summons pre-sales stronger than smash-hit Barbie 2 years ago.

It besides sees Hugh Grant reprise his relation arsenic Daniel, Chiwetel Ejiofor arsenic Scott, a teacher astatine Bridget’s kids’ school, and Isla Fisher arsenic Bridget’s feisty caller neighbour Rebecca.

It isn’t hard for Renee to enactment herself into Bridget’s shoes due to the fact that the histrion has endured much than her stock of occupation uncovering Mr Right.

Comic histrion Jim Carrey described Renee arsenic his “last large love” aft dating her for a twelvemonth successful 2000.

Her matrimony to state vocalist Kenny Chesney was annulled aft conscionable 4 months successful 2005 and she dated Hollywood prima Bradley Cooper for 2 years until 2011.

Between 2012 and 2019 she was successful a narration with instrumentalist and erstwhile heroin addict Doyle Bramhall II.

For the past 4 years she has been dating the twice-divorced British TV presenter Ant Anstead.

Father-of-three Ant, 45, who she shares a location with successful the US, joined Renee astatine the premiere of the movie successful London past month.

Commenting connected Bridget’s attack to men, Renee says: “It gives everybody support to beryllium who we are and to consciousness like, ‘Yeah, I don’t person to get it right.

"And I tin inactive beryllium happy, and I tin inactive get the guy, and I tin inactive bash well. Even if it looks messy connected the outside, I’m inactive bully astatine what I do. And I’m inactive seemingly cute capable for these handsome men to privation to stock my life.’ You know?”

That connection is apt to beryllium appreciated by audiences erstwhile the 4th movie arrives successful cinemas tomorrow, the time earlier Valentine’s Day.

Mad About The Boy does look to steer wide of value issues, with a slimmer Bridget not poking amusive astatine her size.

Instead, the jokes are much aimed astatine the character’s age.

Having been widowed erstwhile hubby Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) died during a humanitarian mission, Bridget is pursued by a acold younger man.

Hot Londoner Leo Woodall, 28, plays Roxster, who doesn’t look to beryllium disquieted astir dating the fictional parent of 2 young kids.

The “cougar” storyline was besides seen successful caller deed Babygirl, with Nicole Kidman’s high-powered CEO quality seduced by an intern.

Renee, though, whose fellow Ant is simply a decennary younger than her, thinks determination is thing caller successful women fancy­ing much youthful men.

She says: “I wonderment wherefore it’s a novelty? People are talking astir each the films that are showing this dynamic arsenic the cardinal relationship.
‘I person nary regrets’

“This is thing caller successful society. We were talking astir each the songs that person been written astir it, Mrs Robinson, Me And Mrs Jones, Mad About the Boy.”

The 4th installment is the archetypal movie Renee has made since her Oscar-winning show arsenic vocalist Judy Garland successful the 2019 biopic Judy.

In betwixt the 2 projects she besides portrayed real-life slayer Pam Hupp successful the 2022 TV bid The Thing About Pam.

In 2010 she took a six-year interruption from acting owed to fatigue, having made 4 movies successful a twelvemonth successful 2009.

Explaining wherefore she discontinue backmost then, Renee says: “I was bored with myself, and I felt similar I was redundant, and I couldn’t basal listening to myself speech astir the aforesaid things implicit and over.”

But she was tempted backmost by Bridget Jones’s Baby successful 2016. “It’s the champion occupation successful the world,” she said.

The histrion thinks it was a bully determination to instrumentality a remainder from the manufacture 15 years ago.

Renee says she would measurement backmost erstwhile more, “if it feels indispensable oregon if there’s thing other that seems important to explore.

“And I wasn’t wrong. I person nary regrets astir it.”

The big-budget Mad About The Boy is simply a satellite distant from the Texan’s archetypal acquisition of being successful beforehand of a camera.

Having archetypal go funny successful acting erstwhile taking a play people portion studying English lit astatine university, Renee auditioned for a brew advert.

Just similar Bridget, the wannabe took a “fake it until you marque it” attack to onshore the role.

Renee told the advertisement makers she could rollerblade, adjacent though she had ne'er been connected the wheeled boots.

With a smile, she recalls: “I rented immoderate rollerblades, gave it a shot, thought, ‘I’m decidedly going to die’.”

At the audition she was told, “Here, enactment connected this bikini. Put these skates on. Carry this 12-pack connected your enarthrosis and commencement astatine the apical of that hill.”

Renee adds: “Thank God they blocked the thoroughfare beneath due to the fact that if determination was oncoming traffic, we would not beryllium having this speech today.

“But it’s a truly bully mode to permission the satellite if you’re going to exit. You cognize what I mean? Buried nether a heap of beer.”

That’s the benignant of mishap, minus the untimely demise, you tin conscionable ideate befalling boozy Bridget.

It is wherefore the quality is conscionable arsenic fashionable contiguous arsenic she was erstwhile Fielding started penning astir her successful a fictional paper file successful 1995.

Like astir people, Bridget bounces backmost nary substance what curveballs beingness throws astatine her.

As Renee says: “She finds a mode done immoderate it is, and triumphs successful the extremity — contempt the execution of things not going to plan. And I deliberation that’s inspirational.”

• Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is successful cinemas tomorrow.