Renée Zellweger explains why she decided to quit acting for 6 years

The Bridget Jones star certainly made the most of her six years away from the industry.

The release of the fourth movie in the iconic franchise titled Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is imminent and fans of the film - and specifically Renée Zellweger's iconic characterization of the role - have been left biting their nails in anticipation.

Prepare to squeal in delight after watching the trailer:

Zellweger is best known for her recurring role as none other than the titular character in the Bridget Jones franchise, the much-loved series of movies first beginning in 2001 with the fourth and final in the series anticipated for release on Valentine's Day later this year.

The 55-year-old actor has also starred in hits such as Chicago (2002), Miss Potter (2006) and Judy (2019), however, during her career as an actor there was a period where she decided to take a break - and a six-year long hiatus at that.

In an interview with British Vogue - with questions asked by co-star Hugh Grant - Zellweger explained she took a break from acting from 2010 to 2016 ultimately 'because [she] needed to ' and 'was sick of the sound of [her] own voice'.

Zellweger took a six-year break from acting (United International Pictures)

Zellweger took her break after 2010 release My Own Love Song and returned to the big screen for Netflix release The Whole Truth.

The actor continued: "When I was working, I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, listen to you. Are you sad again, Renée? Oh, is this your mad voice?' It was a regurgitation of the same emotional experiences."

And how Zellwegger used her time off? Well, she didn't simply do nothing, binge-watch tons of Netflix or start yoga classes, instead revealing she not only 'wrote music' but also 'studied international law'.

Oh, and that's not all.

The actor really crammed a lot in to her time off (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

She continued: "I also built a house, rescued a pair of older doggies, created a partnership that led to a production company, advocated for and fundraised with a sick friend, and spent a lot of time with family and godchildren and driving across the country with the dogs." Yup, that doesn't make me feel a bit bad about all the hours lost to re-watching Friends for the 30th time at all but hey, life's all about balance right?

Basically, Zellwegger resolves: "I got healthy."

We love seeing people succeed and find new passions, but just because Christmas is over, let's try not to listen to some of the problematic messages from the first Bridget Jones movie and feel the pressure to go on a diet or anything.