Bridget Jones star Renee Zellweger is baffled by people’s obsession with her character’s weight

BRIDGET JONES star Renee Zellweger is baffled behind the obsession with her character’s body weight.

The actress, 47, piled on the pounds to reprise her role in upcoming film Bridget Jones’s Baby, but insists she doesn’t think gaining weight for the part is a big deal.

She said: “I put on a few pounds.

“I also put on some breasts and a baby bump.

“Bridget is a perfectly normal weight and I’ve never understood why it matters so much.”

Further defending her transformation she added: “No male actor would get such scrutiny if he did the same thing for a role.”

Renee admitted she needed to take a six-year break from Hollywood before starring in the sequel.

She said: “I was fatigued and wasn’t taking the time I needed to recover in between projects and it caught up with me.

“I got sick of the sound of my own voice; it was time to go away and grow up a bit.”

Renee found the hiatus hugely beneficial and said: “I wasn’t taking the time to recover between projects and it caught up with me.

“It was time to go away and grow up a bit.

“I found anonymity, I could have exchanges with people on a human level and be seen and heard. Not defined by this image that precedes me.”

Boosting her life-experiences has also helped refine her acting.

She added: “You cannot be a good storyteller if you don’t have life experiences, and you can’t relate to people.”

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