Rom-com legend Hugh Grant has gushed over Hollywood star Renée Zellweger in a new interview. The duo first worked together alongside Colin Firth in Bridget Jones’s Diary, which filmed in 2000 and was released the following year. While Hugh has become known for his aloof behaviour, he didn’t bother putting on his usual grumpy front while talking about the American actress. “I love Renée. She's one of the few actresses I haven't fallen out with,” Hugh openly revealed during a radio appearance on The Jess Cagle Show on SiriusXM. Hugh then described how their relationship goes beyond their professional work together, and they make sure to keep in touch despite their busy lives.

“We still exchange long emails, her's in particular, at least 70 pages each, interesting stuff, but quite hard to decipher and, she's a properly good egg and a genius," he jokingly said, before adding: “Did you see her Judy Garland? About as good as acting gets.”. Hugh played Daniel Cleaver in the first two Bridget Jones films, before skipping out on the action in the last film, 2016’s Bridget Jones’s Baby.

The movie addressed Hugh's character’s absence by surprisingly saying that he’d died in a plane crash, but the flick had one final twist. At the end of the film a newspaper headline revealed Daniel Cleaver had been found alive, so there was hope for him to return in a future movie. Now, Hugh has been confirmed to be in the new film, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, returning as Daniel. He and Renée stunned on the red carpet together at the premiere in Paris, smiling widely as they had a rare public reunion.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, Hugh confirmed that he couldn't make Cleaver fit into the story of Bridget Jones's Baby, but knew the team behind Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy wanted the character to return, so he wrote some scenes that the filmmakers liked enough to incorporate them into the script. The Heretic star went on to say Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is “very funny” and “very moving,” but revealed he only did a week’s work, so won’t be in it as much as he was in the first two films. Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy will see a slew of new characters alongside the old stars, as it catches up with Bridget, now a 51-year-old widow who still keeps a diary. To the audience’s shock, Mad About The Boy reveals her beloved Mark Darcy died five years ago, leaving Bridget as a single mother of two.

However, she has two exciting new love interests in Leo Woodall and Chiwetel Ejiofor, with her old friends Shazzer, Tom, and Jude returning to guide her through the drama. Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads . Celeb obsessed? Get a daily dose of showbiz gossip direct to your inbox.