Ant Anstead Shuts Down Speculation He’s Leaving California, Where He Shares Custody of Son with Christina Haack

Ant Anstead isn’t leaving the U.S., despite spending more time in U.K.

In an Instagram post shared Tuesday, Oct. 22, the TV personality and automotive expert, 45, who also grabbed headlines last week when his car company filed for bankruptcy, shut down speculation that he is moving away from Laguna Beach, Calif.

In the comment section of a post showing a behind-the-scenes look at the renovation project Anstead’s currently working on in the United Kingdom for his show Ant Anstead: Born Mechanic, a fan asked the British-born car expert if he has “moved back to the mother land.”

His response? “Noooo!”

“Laguna beach is my home!” he wrote. “Just went back to [surprise] my folks x X.”

The coastal Orange County city is also where his 5-year-old son Hudson, whom he shares with ex-wife Christina Haack (formerly Hall), lives.

Haack and Antstead — who recently made headlines for sharing a friendly interaction on social media after their contentious 2021 custody battle. The exes “have joint legal and joint physical custody” of their son, PEOPLE previously reported.

Though he hasn’t relocated permanently, Anstead has been spending significant time in the U.K. as girlfriend Renée Zellweger films the long-awaited fourth installment of the Bridget Jones’s Diary series there.

Before Zellweger, 55, headed overseas to reprise her iconic role, a source confirmed the temporary move, telling PEOPLE that the Celebrity IOU: Joyride host was “going over to the U.K. with Renée while she is filming.”

The insider also noted that the star was “excited to spend time with his older kiddos,” as his two eldest children — daughter Amelie, 21, and son Archie, 18, from his first marriage with Louise Storey — both live in the U.K.

Though Anstead made the temporary move back to his home country, he and Zellweger — who have been dating for three years — actually share a home together in Orange County.

At the time, the star himself confirmed to PEOPLE that “Temple is sold,” noting that the off-market sale “came at the right time, for another property and a change in my personal life that I’m really pleased about.”

“So I was like, yeah. I made the call there and then,” he added.

While Zellweger films the latest Bridget Jones film, Anstead is working hard on a car in the historic U.K. barn that doubles as his temporary workspace.

The barn, he previously explained, is where he plans to fix up some antique automobiles so he can fund the complete restoration of the 500-year-old English farmhouse he bought for his parents.

Speculation about Anstead’s home base comes as the star’s car company Radford Motors, which he co-founded in 2020 with racecar driver Jenson Button, has filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy.

The Oct. 22 filing came after he was accused of fraud and misrepresentation by several business partners, according to documents obtained by PEOPLE. Anstead had previously told PEOPLE that the venture was “personally a huge risk for me.”