Renee Zellweger Speaks Out: 'I'm Glad Folks Think I Look Different'

Renee Zellweger is speaking out in light of the barrage of attention her new look has received after she stepped out at the 21st annual Elle Women In Hollywood Awards on Monday night.

"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," the 45-year-old actress told People magazine .

The former "Bridget Jones's Diary" star is no stranger to the world discussing her appearance -- a conversation she deems as "silly." She told the magazine that she wanted to address the issue because "it seems the folks who come digging around for some nefarious truth, which doesn't exist, won't get off my porch until I answer the door."

While the Internet has said Zellweger is "unrecognizable" with her new look, the actress says she's comfortable with herself.

"People don't know me in my 40s," said Zellweger, who has taken a hiatus from Hollywood and last appeared onscreen in 2010's "My Own Love Song." "People don't know me [as] healthy for a while. Perhaps I look different. Who doesn't as they get older?! Ha. But I am different. I'm happy."

It's not the first time the actress has addressed rumors about her appearance. In 2013, she told the Daily Express , "When you read reports that you are starving yourself or that you are anorexic, its very unfair and disappointing. Its not very pleasant to read reports which say youve gone too far or this or that.

For more with Renee Zellweger, head over to People magazine .