Renee Zellweger Exclusive: The First Pictures Since THAT Red Carpet Appearance. Actress Steps Out Without Make-Up And She STILL Doesn't Look Like Herself

• Plastic surgeon Dr. Randal Haworth suggests Renee has undergone a blepharoplasty
• This entails 'removing the perceived excess eyelid skin and fat from the area between the eyebrow and the upper eyelash'

Even without a scrap of make-up, Renee Zellweger looked unrecognizable when she was spotted over the weekend for the first time since last Monday's ELLE Style Awards.

The 45-year-old Bridget Jones actress - who has dismissed surgery speculations as 'silly' - appeared somewhat tired and anxious as she ran errands over the weekend in Mississippi, where she is about to start filming her latest movie, Same Kind Of Different As Me.

When quizzed by the paparazzi over all the media attention surrounding her face, Renee, as she climbed into her car, replied: 'Oh my God, you're going to ask me that question! Can you excuse me please? I have better things to do and I'm sure you do too.'

The actress, whose shocking new look has sent commentators into a frenzy of speculation over what sort of cosmetic procedures she may have had done, politely declined to answer any further questions as she prepared to drive off.

'I'd just like to have my day to myself if you don't mind,' she said.

Her make-up free face put to bed any speculation that perhaps her unusual new look last week was a result of make-up trickery.

Renee has since dismissed web-chatter over her so-called surgery as 'silly.'

'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,' she told People.

'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.'

MailOnline spoke to Beverly Hills-based plastic surgeon Dr. Randal Haworth to get his theory on the matter.

'In my opinion, Renee underwent a blepharoplasty which entails removing the perceived excess amount of eyelid skin and fat from the area between the eyebrow and the upper eyelash,' he says.

'The resulting scar will be hidden within the normal upper eyelid crease which is a natural curve.

However, one could not see this natural curve in Renée prior to surgery since all we saw was a straight sheet of skin starting from her nose to the outside of her eye itself.

'Though the procedure was performed conservatively, it unveiled her eyes which were "hiding" behind this drape of skin.'

Dr Haworth elaborated: 'Renee's defining/trademark characteristic was her small, squinty eyes, which complemented her quirky personality perfectly.

'Now that it is gone, she is unrecognizable. Additionally, she has lost some subcutaneous facial fat during her absence from the public spotlight which can be attributed to normal aging. To summarize, it's not that she looks bad at all, it's just that she looks different.

The Case 39 actress - who's been romancing Doyle Bramhall II since 2012 - said she's spent the past few years 'making a home,' 'loving someone,' and 'growing into myself.'

'My friends say that I look peaceful. I am healthy,' Zellweger insisted.

'For a long time I wasn't doing such a good job with that. I took on a schedule that is not realistically sustainable and didn't allow for taking care of myself.

'Rather than stopping to recalibrate, I kept running until I was depleted and made bad choices about how to conceal the exhaustion. I was aware of the chaos and finally chose different things.'

The star was at ELLE's 21st annual Women In Hollywood Awards at the Four Seasons Hotel in California when she debuted her new look, prompting fans to voice their concern.

Apart from her ultra line-free forehead and suspiciously puffy face, she also had much lighter and patchier eyebrows than usual.

According to celebrity make-up artist Rachel Wood, whose clients include Mariah Carey and Louise Roe, the star 'clearly has had some work done'.

She told MailOnline: 'The texture of her skin looks like she has gone a little too far with a chemical peel as its texture looks very smooth and plastic-like shiny, yet the color on top looks like the remnants of fake tan.'

Ms Wood added: 'She is known for cute but heavy lidded eyes and it appears as though she has had some sort of lift, maybe a bit of Botox by the brow as well to open up her eyes.

I am all for a secret nip and tuck but in small doses, so you still look like a fresher, rested version of you… not an unrecognizable one.'

The shapelessness of her brows merely serves to further 'distort' the new frame of her face, says Ms Wood.

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