Reese Witherspoon has revealed she was left deeply upset over the comments made about Renee Zellweger's 'new look', blasting the critics of the star as "cruel and rude".
The Legally Blonde actress, who was reportedly offered £20 million to replace Renee in the new instalment of Bridget Jones' Diary, has said that she was horrified by the reaction the actress' appearance received at ELLE's 21st annual Women In Hollywood Awards at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles last month.
Many claimed that Zellweger's appearance was owing to extensive cosmetic surgery, but Witherspoon has said that the comments were way out of line. When asked about the attention the 45-year-old's look attracted, the Wild actress said: "It's horrible. It's cruel and rude and disrespectful, and I can go on and on and on. It bothers me immensely."
Reese reportedly spoke about the controversial topic to The Hollywood Reporter at a rountable, where she said: "I know this is so Pollyanna of me, but why -- and it's particularly women -- why do they have to tear women down? And why do we have to tear other women down to build another woman up? It drives me crazy."
Reese Witherspoon has stuck up for fellow actress Renee Zellweger (WENN)
'Like, this one looks great without her makeup but that one doesn't look good without her makeup, and it's all just a judgement and assault that I don't -- look, men are prey to it as well. I just don't think it's with the same sort of ferocity."
She may be defending Renee now, but back when the Bridget Jones star unveiled her new face, Reese appeared to be laughing along with the rest of us. Comedienne Amy Schulmer poked fun at Renee, posting a photo of a tiny pug dog giving her a high-five alongside the quip: “Renee, looking' good girl!” The funny pic caught Reese's eye, who simply replied to the tweet with: “I die.” Amy did try and explain her her post later, writing: "My tweet was about how Renee's surgery made her look like me. I was not insulting her. I love women and don't make fun of how they look. bye.”
As for Renee's take on the whole drama, when she was asked about her change in appearance, the actress simply claimed it was all down to her change in lifestyle. "I'm living a different, happy, more fulfilling life, and I'm thrilled that perhaps it shows," she told People. "My friends say that I look peaceful. I am healthy. For a long time I wasn't doing such a good job with that."
"People don't know me [as] healthy for a while," she added. "Perhaps I look different. Who doesn't as they get older? Ha. But I am different. I'm happy."
