Charlize Keeps Dinner About Charity, Not Jeremy

How does Theron stay out of the gossip magazines? The Oscar winner offers tips

Stunning Charlize Theron, along with Vogue and Dior, hosted a dinner in West Hollywood last night at Soho House for the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project.

"For me, going there when we launched, it was eye-opening that the things we take for granted are not the things that you can expect in rural communities in South Africa," Charlize told E!

The Oscar winner brought out the likes of Nicole Richie, Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Dillon and rumored—yet overexaggerated, mind you—more-than-friend Jeremy Renner to help support her cause.

So how does Charlize manage to keep herself mostly about philanthropy and talent rather than a tabloid gossip target?

The Oscar winner let us in on her secret:

"There are certain things in my life that I hold on to very sacredly," dished Theron, who looked stunning in a pink and black spaghetti-strap Dior dress. "Maybe it was the way I was raised. My mom used to always say, 'There's certain things that are yours and you don't share that.'"

So could "that" be referring to her personal life, and perhaps the lucky man (be it longtime beau Stuart Townsend or supposedly Mr. Renner) she chooses to spend her time with?

"I know that so much of my life is out there already. Quality of life is incredibly important to me, and I don't know how much quality of life you can really have if it's all out there for the world," fessed Charlize.

True that, honey!

Adds the talented beauty:

"I love my fans and I love how this country has embraced me. At the same time, there are little things that I want to hang on to for myself. I really do believe you can make certain choices in your life that give you the life you really do like."

Oh, and FYI, even though Renner told us he was "there because of Charlize," the two seem nothing more than fab friends, if you ask us.

Inside Soho House, the dinner guests were treated to Moet champagne as they enjoyed the 360-degree view of a relatively clear Los Angeles.

We're told the woman of the evening, Ms. Theron, mingled with all her celebrity guests, including Renner, but that their interaction was just as friendly as with any of the other high-powered folks in attendance.

To learn more about the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project, or to donate, you can check out the website.

The project is committed to creating a safer and healthier environment for underresourced communities in South Africa, with a particular focus on individuals suffering from HIV/AIDS.

"We started [the project] with so little and thought, 'What is this really going to change?' And 18 months later I went back and there were about eight faces that I knew we affected and changed their lives," Charlize says.

"Nelson Mandela came out of this area. How can you not invest? I always say even if you can only send two dollars and you don't think that's gonna make a difference, trust me, it does make a difference."