Zellwegger and social media debate who will die first

Let’s rein up right there and point out that she still looks great – as in “enviably beautiful” – but the star best known for “Bridget Jones’s Diary” is showing a few wrinkles and the world is agog.

Thais in particular were honed for debate after recently seeing pictures of former Miss Universe Apasra “Puk” Hongsakula looking amazingly young at age 67. Seeing Renee Zellweger looking quite the opposite during an appearance at the Elle Women in Hollywood Awards on Monday was a jolt. And she’s only 45. The social networks caught fire.

Someone posted Renee’s photo from the awards show, teasing, “Guess who?” Once word spread that it was Zellweger, the adorably cute one-time pin-up girl, we had gossip meltdown. “What has she done with her face?!” was a typically immodest reaction. And there were literally millions of comments posted online around the planet – too many, obviously, for the actress to read, even if she only stuck to the ones in English. But she did feel compelled to respond. 

“It seems the folks who come digging around for some nefarious truth that doesn’t exist won’t get off my porch until I answer the door,” she told People. The simple fact is she’s “older and happier”, she said.

“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.” She called the reaction over her wrinkles is just “silly”. 

Piers Morgan, the former CNN windbag now reduced to a regular column in Britain’s Daily Mail, was among the first to agree. “Damned if she botoxes, damned if she doesn’t,” he wrote in the newspaper (still banned in Thailand, by the way). “Don’t torment Renee – blame the misogynist tyranny that forces even a natural beauty to turn herself into another fake-featured blonde.” 

But that’s as much of a defence as Morgan was willing to mount. Having washed, he now wished. He too was shocked by her altered appearance, he said, but also felt really sad. “Personally, I loved Renee precisely because her face was unconventionally pretty, cheeky and natural. Now she’s morphed herself into the exact same fake-featured blonde that bestrides every street in Los Angeles.”

Hollywood demonstrates “hostility on ageing” and victimises stars when they get older, Piers washed. But, if Renee’s happy, he wished, then he’s happy for her. 

Meanwhile Jennifer Gerson Uffalussy, one of the founding editors at Jezebel.com, showed Morgan how commentary is properly done. “Nothing’s wrong with Renee Zellweger’s face,” Uffalussy said. “There’s something wrong with us.”

Yeah, and by the way, we have a recent photo of Leonardo Di Caprio here someplace, and that baby face of his is long gone. How come no one’s freaking out about that?