Renee Zellweger responds to haters who have been scrutinizing her new face. Despite all the negativity, Renee Zellweger responds with no hate, simply saying her new "peaceful" lifestyle has been behind the change.

On Monday night, Zellweger, 45, appeared at the 2014 Elle Women in Hollywood Awards in Beverly Hills Monday looking startlingly different. As expected from the entertainment industry, the "Cold Mountain" star's new face caused quite a storm on social media, with many speculating the her face is the result of plastic surgery.

Some news outlets credited the change in her appearance to going under the knife. Other plethora of rumours which surrounded the actress even ranged from a face-lift to Botox, but Renee Zellweger responds saying the change was only the result of aging.

In a statement People Wednesday, Renee Zellweger responds to the public scrutiny and called people's reactions "silly."

"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," Zellweger  told People magazine.

Apparently, Renee Zellweger responds and decided to comment on her face since she believes "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 added, "My friends say that I look peaceful. I am healthy," Zellweger continues. "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."

Renee Zellweger responds to the backlash and said her health and happiness resulted to the new look.

"People don't know me in my 40s. People don't know me [as] healthy for a while. Perhaps I look different. Who doesn't as they get older? Ha. But I'm different. I'm happy," said the "Down With Love" actress.

Zellweger also gave recognition to her relationship to boyfriend singer Doyle Bramhall II, saying her happy and new healthy lifestyle had also been because of the 45-year-old.

"I did work that allows for being still, making a home, loving someone, learning new things, growing as a creative person and finally growing into myself," she said.

This wasn't the first time that people have speculated plastic surgery when it comes to Zellweger's face, to which Renee Zellweger responds to. Prior to the Monday appearance at the red carpet, she had also been spotted at the 2013 Academy Awards looking different. Sporting a wrinkle-free face when she announced the award for Best Original Score, she was attacked by viewers saying it was the result of Botox, according to a report from the Daily Mail.

Zellweger married country singer Kenny Chesney in 2005, which abruptly ended after just 128 days, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. As a result, Zellweger - one of Hollywood's most sought out actresses - retreated from the public and her acting career.

"I just needed to put acting aside. I needed to sit still and not to worry about the dresses and the hair and the travel and the interviews. I was going through huge life changes at the time. I wanted to stop and be a girl for a while," responded Renee Zellweger.

The "Jerry Maguire" star has since been seen with her guitarist boyfriend, and looking much more content behind the scenes producing and directing films.

Though recently out of the spotlight, she will be returning to the big screen alongside Keanu Reeves in 2015, according to CBS News. The film is called "The Whole Truth." Zellweger's movie acting repertoire includes 2010's "My Own Love Song," "Me, Myself & Irene" and "Bridget Jones's Diary." She also won a best supporting actress Oscar for "Cold Mountain."

Renee Zellweger responds to the negativity in such a positive fashion, it appears the Hollywood actress is indeed happy and content with her current life. Hopefully it continues and fans will get to see more of the actress on the big screen.