The filing sparked widespread gossip that Chesney was gay — something Zellweger says made her deeply uncomfortable.Shortly after filing in September 2005, Zellweger released a statement clarifying that “fraud” was simply legal terminology and “not a reflection of Kenny’s character.”

Asked if she felt compelled to defend Chesney at the time, Zellweger said, “I’d said all I needed to say on that subject. I’m old-fashioned and don’t think it’s right to air personal matters publicly. You diminish yourself when you share intimate details with countless strangers who are mocking you. There’s no dignity in that. But it can be hard to let something go when it’s unnecessary ugliness. Once you’ve said your piece, shouldn’t that be enough? And why is that kind of negativity so appealing to people?”

“I forgot about that. It’s a pretty big thing to forget, isn’t it? That made me sad,” she told the outlet. “It made me sad that people were using that as a way to be cruel, and that calling someone gay was treated like a negative, which can have real consequences. And, of course, the bigger issue is why anyone had to invent a story in the first place.”