Actress says altered appearance has nothing to do with plastic surgery: she’s just happy and healthy, growing old

Oct 22, 2014 07:23 GMT  ·  By

Renee Zellweger stepped out the other night at the Elle Women in Hollywood Awards, looking fabulous in a little black dress by Carolina Herrera and Louboutin pumps, but also so different in the face that she instantly became a trending topic on social media.

The actress, who has been living a relatively low-key, out of the spotlight life in recent years, has been the subject of plastic surgery rumors before, but never like this. Insiders at the gala even told the media that fellow celebrities in attendance had trouble recognizing her, so that must mean the difference was even more startling in person than it appears in photos.

Speaking of which, attached to this article is a “before and after” comparison of Renee’s face, so you can appreciate said difference on your own.

Renee knows she looks different and is happy you noticed

Throughout the years, the actress has been said to have gotten a long series of procedures done, including lots and regular Botox, fillers, a chin implant, an eyelift, a shift in brow position and jawline, and much more.

She never engaged in conversations of this type, neither to deny nor confirm the rumors, which, ironically, only fueled more speculation.

However, this time, Renee is speaking out: in a statement to People magazine, she says that she’s actually happy if people think she looks different, because that means that whatever she feels inside must be noticeable from the outside too.    

“I'm glad folks think I look different! I'm living a different, happy, more fulfilling life, and I'm thrilled that perhaps it shows. My friends say that I look peaceful. I am healthy,” Renee explains.

“For a long time I wasn't doing such a good job with that. I took on a schedule that is not realistically sustainable and didn't allow for taking care of myself. Rather than stopping to recalibrate, I kept running until I was depleted and made bad choices about how to conceal the exhaustion. I was aware of the chaos and finally chose different things,” she continues.

Today, she’s healthier and happier than ever before, and she credits boyfriend Doyle Bramhall for that, because he taught her to slow down and enjoy life, or else she’d run the risk she missed most of it because she was too busy working.

Happiness, not plastic surgery

As for all those saying she’d gotten so much work done that she’s not even recognizable anymore, Renee says such rumors are “silly.”

“It seems the folks who come digging around for some nefarious truth which doesn't exist won't get off my porch until I answer the door,” she explains. “People don't know me in my 40s. People don't know me [as] healthy for a while. Perhaps I look different. Who doesn't as they get older?! Ha. But I am different. I'm happy.”

So there, this is as closest as we’re going to get to a direct denial of plastic surgery. Do you believe her? Let us know in the comments section below.