Brigitte Bardot, the French movie star in the 1950s and 1960s, died on Sunday, aged 91. She became a symbol of sexual liberation, and while she was extremely popular, some things she wanted to stay private. Sadly, her relationship with her only child was strained. And before her death, she made her estranged son, Nicolas, a tear-jerking promise.
Brigitte Bardot passed away in her home, La Madrague in Saint-Tropez, France, on Sunday, December 29, aged 91. Her foundation stated no specific illness was connected to her death.
She passed with her husband, Bernard d’Ormale, at her side, and the family has asked for privacy in this devastating time.
“The Brigitte Bardot Foundation wishes to honor the memory of an exceptional woman who gave everything for a world more respectful of animals. Her legacy lives on through the actions and campaigns that the Foundation continues with the same passion and unwavering commitment to her ideals,” the foundation wrote in a statement.
“We extend our sincere condolences to her family, loved ones, the municipality of Saint-Tropez and its residents, and all those who share this cause.
The Foundation will continue, more than ever, to champion the work of Brigitte Bardot.”
Brigitte Bardot became a huge symbol of sexual liberation, not least through her signature roles in films such as And God Created Woman. However, at age 39, with more than 50 film credits to her name, she decided to walk out of the Hollywood spotlight.
Brigitte Bardot – relationship with estranged son Nicolas
Instead, Bardot wanted to focus on her lifelong dedication to helping animals. She famously pledged, “I gave my youth and beauty to men, I give my wisdom and experience to animals,”
Bardot spent the remainder of her life campaigning for animal welfare under the Brigitte Bardot Foundation. However, in 1995, when she released her memoir, she once again returned to the spotlight because of her words about her son.
Brigitte stated in her memoir that she was never supposed to be a mother. Still, she and her then-husband, Jacques Charrier, welcomed their son, Nicolas, on January 11, 1960, in Paris, France.
The birth was painful. In her memoir, Brigitte Bardot wrote harsh words about her pregnancy, and that she didn’t want to become a mother.
“I looked at my flat, slender belly in the mirror like a dear friend upon whom I was about to close a coffin lid,” she wrote.
The promise Brigitte Bardot made to her estranged son before her death
When she and Charrier divorced, he retained custody of Nicolas and mainly lived with his father’s grandparents.
“I didn’t bring up Nicolas because I needed support, roots,” Bardot later said. “I couldn’t be Nicolas’ roots because I was completely uprooted, unbalanced, lost in that crazy world.”
The 1995 memoir Initiales BB became a huge success, but for Nicolas and Charrier, it was something else. Brigitte described Nicolas as “the object of my misfortune” in the book, which became somewhat of the most talked-about passage. Before its release, her ex-husband and son tried to censor the passages that discussed them. It didn’t work out, and it was released as Bardot had planned.
Nicolas and his mother, Brigitte Badot, had a very strained relationship. However, before she died, she had promised him one very significant thing. Although she had already written about him in her memoir, in the last years of her life, Bardot appeared to have changed her attitude towards speaking about her son.
“I promised Nicolas I would never talk about him in my interviews,” she said in an interview with Paris Match, published in June of 2024.
Rest in peace, Brigitte Bardot. Please share your best memory of the movie star and activist in the comment section on Facebook.
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