Renee Zellweger admits her comeback was ‘scary’

Renee Zellweger found returning to the spotlight to be "scary".

The 47-year-old actress took a six-year break from the industry, but recently returned to star in the much-discussed ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’ – and Renee admits to initially harbouring a few nerves about her comeback.

The actress – who first starred as Bridget in 2001 – confessed: "It was scary coming back.

"Especially since I love this character and didn’t want to disappoint anybody. I always feel a slight twinge of impostor syndrome when I go to work – it’s an ever-present sentiment for me that I’ll be thinking, ‘OK, this is the time I’m going to be discovered and fired’ – and after being away for so long, it was strong this time.

"But from the moment I read the script, I was reminded of how much I love Bridget and how much I love her family and her friends, so once I’d gotten past my fear, it was a very happy experience."

Meanwhile, Renee revealed she relished the experience of pretending to be pregnant for the new movie.

She told the Daily Mail newspaper: "The prosthetic baby bump was a substantial number, and it took a long time to put on and – importantly – take off, so I wasn’t drinking a lot of water because if I needed to go to the bathroom, everyone would have to wait a good 20 minutes for me to get back!

"But it was beautifully built. Kind of like a swimsuit, but with a tank top underneath to keep the weepy rubbery material off my skin, and then a couple of tank tops on top to smooth it out, and then whatever the wardrobe was on top of that.

"It was heavy, which was essential to look realistic. I had advice from friends who had been pregnant and one said to me, ‘You shouldn’t put your hands on your back like that, pregnant women don’t really walk around with their hands on their backs.’

"But it’s my back that really hurt while I was wearing the prosthetic, and I say kudos to the ladies who have been through it in real life!"