Ant Anstead jokes 'Discovery+ dating service' brought him and Renée Zellweger together

Some jobs have all the perks! Ant Anstead is opening up about his new romance with Renée Zellweger, whom he met on the set of his new automotive overhaul show, which premiered this month.

On "Celebrity IOU: Joyride," which Anstead hosts with Cristy Lee (streaming on Discovery+), Oscar winner Zellweger is among the celebrities featured who gifts worthy recipients car makeovers.

Photos of Anstead, 42, and Zellweger, 52, kissing, obtained by Page Six, circulated online last month.

"I can't dodge it," Anstead tells USA TODAY. "There’s photos. So everybody knows."

Still, he admires Zellweger's ability to keep her private life out of the spotlight.

"There's a ton of amazing things about Renée, and her private persona is actually really inspiring," Anstead says. "For somebody so high-profile, she is incredibly private. And I respect that, and ultimately, from my perspective, the irony of the show being called ‘IOU,’ it's like, ‘Thanks, Discovery.’ It's actually I that owe you. And I can recommend Discovery+ dating service to anybody."

"All this time, Tinder wasn't working for you," Lee jokes to her co-host. "It was Discovery+ that you've been waiting for."

"Could you imagine if I went on Tinder?" Anstead replies, shooting down any question he was on the popular dating app. Good thing, as he puts it, those at executive producers Drew and Jonathan Scott's production company, Scott Brothers Entertainment, were able to "play Cupid."

HGTV's Christina Haack, Ant Anstead finalize divorce 9 months after separating

Anstead was previously married to Christina Haack. The television personalities married in 2018 and finalized their divorce in June, nine months after they announced their separation.

Haack, host of HGTV's "Christina on the Coast," first shared that the couple were splitting a year after they welcomed a child together.

"We are grateful for each other and as always, our children will remain our priority," she wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post from September. "We appreciate your support and ask for privacy for us and our family as we navigate the future."

Ant Anstead and Christina Haack are both moving on. Why is only one being shamed?

A week later, Anstead also spoke out about their breakup on Instagram.

“Anyone who really knows me knows that I don’t like to share private matters publicly,” he wrote. “I have remained silent while holding on to hope. I never gave up on us. I pray Christina’s decision brings her happiness.”

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Contributing: Charlie Trepany, Amy Haneline

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ant Anstead on Renee Zellweger romance, 'Discovery+ dating service'