Like almost every other high-profile woman, Renee Zellweger’s appearance is regularly scrutinised and analysed by gleeful tabloids eagerly hunting for any signs of ageing.
The rush to publicly dissect the minute details of a person's face is an unpleasant one that places even more pressure maintain unrealistic, youthful appearances regardless of their age - an expectation largely reserved for women.
But when the Bridget Jones actress appeared on a red carpet to attend the Elle Women in Hollywood Awards in 2014, she faced a level of speculation about her face and plastic surgery that no-one could have predicted.
Her name quickly began trending on Twitter alongside reports marvelling at how “unrecognisable” she looked.
A the time, Zellweger calmly responded to the claims with dignity. “My friends say that I look peaceful," she told People. "I am healthy.”
During promotion for the third instalment of Bridget Jones, the 46-year-old told Entertainment Weekly the furore had one positive lasting affect on her outlook. “What good comes from knowing that something like that happened? Less fear.”
“All that I know about is what friends and associates would send in texts and emails. They were sending support, which means that I must have needed it, and I prefer it that way. So when people come up to me to ask ‘How did that feel?’ I don’t know, and I like it like that. I don’t know. I know it sounds pretty unlikely that a person might be able to make herself, I guess, keep clear of those words or of that experience, but I have and it takes effort.”
