Renee Zellweger reflects on temporary acting retirement

Renee Zellweger has reflected on a period of time when she turned her back on acting.

The 55-year-old American star will be reprising her role as Bridget Jones in a new film this year - reuniting her with Hugh Grant who returns as Daniel Cleaver.

The latest issue of British Vogue sees Zellweger interviewed by her co-star who asked why she took time out from Hollywood from 2010 until 2016.

The two-time Oscar-winner replied, "Because I needed to... I was sick of the sound of my own voice.

"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."

Asked what she did during her time off, Zellweger explained that she did not sit around doing nothing.

Rattling off an impressive list of accomplishments, she said, "I wrote music and studied international law.

"I built a house, rescued a pair of older doggies, created a partnership that led to a production company, advocated for and fund-raised with a sick friend, and spent a lot of time with family and godchildren and driving across the country with the dogs. I got healthy."

Zellweger first played Bridget Jones in the 2001 film Bridget Jones's Diary and returned to the role in the 2004 sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.

A third film followed with 2016's Bridget Jones's Baby - and a fourth is set to hit cinema screens next month with Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy due for release on Valentine's Day.