Renee Zellweger
Her whirlwind 2005 marriage to Kenny Chesney was rumored to have been annulled because he admitted that he didn't want to have children. In a 2008 interview with UK broadsheet newspaper, The Times, she insisted that "Motherhood has never been an ambition. I just want to be independent and be able to take care of myself. Anything else is gravy." We're not sure what to make of the gossip rumors that she issued boyfriend Bradley Cooper with an ultimatum to marry and have babies or end the relationship, but it wouldn't be too surprising for a woman who recently entered her forties and could see the clock ticking down.Love versus career: What the experts say
These stars all seem to have one thing in common -- they're successful and have been happy to dedicate themselves to their careers to get to where they are -- but have they paid the price for this by leaving motherhood too late? Relationship expert Lissa Coffrey, Ph.D., feels that this isn't necessarily the case: "We see a lot about the careers of these women, their successes, their films, but we don't hear a lot about their private lives. They probably have wonderful relationships, with friends, siblings, even nieces and nephews. It is possible to be successful and have lots of love in life. Many successful women have chosen to go ahead and have children on their own, but these women haven't. That's not to say that they couldn't go ahead and have children in their life at some other time. We're lucky today that there are so many options available to us".But for those of us who are unwilling to give up our career, how can we at the same time leave the door open for a romantic relationship? Joanne Mallon is a life coach and the Agony Aunt for AOL's ParentDish. She has this advice: "I think the crucial thing is that to be open to a relationship, you need to have space for it in your life. It's a bit pointless to moan about not meeting anybody if you are working 24/7 anyway. To achieve a sense of balance in life, we need to have a range of interests and priorities and not just be all about work, work, work." Achieve a healthy work-life balance by making it a priority to take time for the things that make life worth living for you. "This could include time with friends, a hobby, spiritual practise, exercise, voluntary work etc. The more fulfilled and happy you are, the more attractive you will become, and you just might find that you meet someone special without having to look too hard," adds Mallon.
