Jim Carrey says Renee Zellweger was the love of his life.

The 58-year-old actor dated the 51-year-old actress for a year after meeting on the set of the 2000 movie 'Me, Myself & Irene' and he calls her his ''last great love'' in his new semi-autobiographical novel, 'Memoirs and Misinformation'.

Speaking to Howard Stern on SiriusXM, Jim said: ''That's true and she was special to me, very special. I think she's lovely.''

Jim also spoke about his relationship with singer Linda Ronstadt, 74, who he dated before he made it big in Hollywood.

He said: ''I do appreciate the people that have come through my life for the good that they gave me and that's why (Ronstadt) has a special place in the book...

''Because, you know, it may have seemed like some... boy-toy kind of situation to some people looking at it from the outside but she treated me with incredible respect.''

Meanwhile, Jim recently admitted he struggles with fame and didn't appreciate his anonymity until he lost it.

He said: ''I tripped along for a long time. No one understands the value of anonymity until they lose it. You could say, 'Well, that's what you asked for.' Yes, but it's what a child asks for before they become an adult and understands what something means. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but it's an odd thing and it keeps you in the house.''

And although the memoir is only semi-autobiographical, Jim used it to work through some of his own issues.

He said: ''It really became an exercise of being able to say the things that are important to say in the most creative and abstract way possible and to deal with real painful and jarring movements in my life.''