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Renee Zellweger based Bridget Jones birth on One Born Every Minute

September 16, 2016

Renee Zellweger has revealed that the third Bridget Jones movie Bridget Jones's Baby borrowed ideas from One Born Every Minute, and that the show set on a maternity ward helped her get some "insight" into the process.

Chatting to James Corden on The Late Late Show, the 47-year-old joked with the host about the show, saying: "I met with a midwife and had lots of conversations about the progression of a lady's pregnancy and I watched a show – it's British – called One Born Every Minute.

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Renee opened up about how she prepared for the role

"Isn't it great? It's crazy. It chronicles a woman's pregnancy up to the birth and they show these women giving birth – young women and then the geriatric pregnancy. They show some things. You get some insight. We poached a little bit from each of those ladies, so ladies thank you."

She then spoke about her experience with toddlers after revealing her most high pressure job was working as a life guard with under two-year-olds. She said: "The most high pressure was what I was a life guard at the kinder care. You know what they are fast. The under two range they are quick. Everything becomes a weapon. That's a crazy responsibility. Not interested."

The star previously opened up about having children of her own after she was asked if she was "craving" having a baby, telling Extra magazine: "I've never really thought like that about anything in my life, really. I've always been kind of open to whatever. Maybe curious to see what's next. I've never been deliberate about what would make me happy in my life."

The star will reprise her role as Bridget for the third time

The Cold Mountain actress has also revealed why she took a prolonged break from film roles, explaining that she wanted to "grow as a person." Speaking at a press conference, she said: "I was curious about other things. I had made a lot of promises to myself that I would do this and that. The cycle of making films is continuous – there's no time to explore other things.

"I wanted to learn something new and grow as a person and see if I had aptitude for these things that interest me. And if not now, it would be, 'Oh in two more years, or three years, then ten years', and then just, ultimately, you just don't do them. And I didn't want that to happen."

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