Actress Renee Zellweger has shocked her close friends and family by striking up an unlikely romance with Alec Baldwin.

Alec, 49, is by no means at the top of the list of handsome Hollywood bachelors. And his fiery temper and abusive nature are infamous - just ask his daughter Ireland, 12, who he branded a 'rude and thoughtless little pig' last year when she didn't answer her phone for a planned call.

What Renee, 38, sees in 'Angry Alec' is anyone's guess, but there's no doubt he's the new man in her life, with the couple spending time together in New York recently. When they were spotted dining at the up-market Waverly Inn, they only had eyes for each other.

'He was being very charming and almost over the top in his admiration of her,' a fellow diner tells New Idea.

'He was grinning from ear to ear, like the cat who got the cream. Renee seemed to be doing her best to keep a low profile, but it was very obvious Alec wanted everyone in the restaurant to know they were out on a date.

'I thought it made him look a bit desperate. I don't mean to be unkind but they didn't look like a good match at all.'

Others agree. One of Renee's friends says she fears the star's heading for heartache again.

'Everyone's worried about her dating Alec,' the friend says. 'What he put Kim Basinger through after their marriage broke down is beyond belief.

'Renee has already suffered through the annulment of her marriage [to country music star Kenny Chesney]. I don't think she's strong enough to deal with another break-up. She's
a beautiful, intelligent woman. I wish she could see that and choose guys who deserve her instead of all these sleazeballs!'

Until recently, Renee was dating Andre Balazs, the ex-boyfriend of Uma Thurman. But following a handful of dates, the playboy hotelier told a friend he had 'lost interest in her completely'.

Flings with her Leatherheads co-star John Krasinski and Beatles legend Paul McCartney also stuttered their way into oblivion in 2007. So comparisons to her movie alter ego Bridget Jones have become all too easy.

But whether even Bridget would make this bad a choice of boyfriend is debatable.

What do you think of Renee's latest fling?