Posted on 10/18/2025 10:44:26 AM PDT by nickcarraway
French screen legend Brigitte Bardot, 91, has reportedly been hospitalised in the south of France with what local media have described as a “serious illness.”
According to Le Figaro and Var-Matin, Bardot was admitted to a private clinic in Saint-Tropez earlier this week and is currently under medical supervision.
The exact nature of her condition has not been disclosed, but several French outlets have cited close family sources describing her health as “fragile but stable.”
A private battle away from the public eye
Bardot, who became an international symbol of sensuality and independence in the 1950s and 60s, has largely retreated from public life in recent decades.
Her husband, Bernard d’Ormale, is reported to be by her side, while local authorities have requested discretion from the press as medical staff monitor her progress.
It is not the first time Bardot has faced health issues. In 2023, she was briefly hospitalised during a heatwave after suffering from breathing difficulties. At the time, she reassured her followers that she had made a full recovery, telling Var-Matin, “I had a scare, but I’m still here.”
From film star to animal rights activist
A career defined by passion and controversy
Born in Paris in 1934, Brigitte Bardot’s rise to stardom began with the film And God Created Woman (1956), which catapulted her to global fame and transformed her into an emblem of post-war liberation and beauty.
Over her two-decade career, she appeared in more than 40 films and worked with some of Europe’s most acclaimed directors, including Jean-Luc Godard and Roger Vadim.
After retiring from acting in 1973, Bardot redirected her fame toward animal rights advocacy, founding the Brigitte Bardot Foundation in 1986. The charity has campaigned for the protection of animals worldwide, fighting against fur production, bullfighting, and animal testing.
However, her outspoken nature and repeated comments on immigration and French politics have drawn criticism. Several of her remarks have led to fines for inciting racial hatred, which she has publicly defended as “freedom of expression.”
As news of her hospitalisation spread, tributes poured in across social media. French actress Catherine Deneuve described Bardot as “a woman who redefined femininity for a generation.” Meanwhile, the Cannes Film Festival’s official account posted an image of Bardot from 1956 with the caption, “An eternal icon. France sends love.”
Fans gathered outside her Saint-Tropez home, leaving flowers and messages of support. Local resident Jean-Paul Lemoine told France 24, “For us, she is part of Saint-Tropez itself. It’s hard to imagine the town without her.”
Regardless of public opinion, Brigitte Bardot’s influence on French culture remains undeniable. She embodied a new kind of freedom that reshaped women’s roles both on and off screen. Her advocacy for animal rights, though divisive, helped to push ethical treatment of animals into the national conversation long before it was mainstream.
If this latest health scare proves to be as serious as reports suggest, France could soon be facing the loss of one of its most recognisable, and polarising, figures. For now, admirers around the world await further updates and hope the actress, model, and activist makes a recovery befitting her indomitable spirit.
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I suppose being 91 has something to do with the seriousness of it.
Wow! I didn’t know she was still alive! Haven’t heard that classic name in decades.
When love walks in the room
Everybody stand up
Oh, it’s good, good, good
Like Brigitte Bardot
she is- or was- a chain smoker. I’m surprised she has made it to 91.
At the start of her political activism, she was protesting on behalf of the Rosenbergs, who were executed in 1953 after being convicted of stealing our atomic secrets and passing them to the Soviets. Much later in life, she was protesting mass immigration into Europe from the Third World. She followed a French tradition of starting life on the left and later moving to the right.
However, her outspoken nature and repeated comments on immigration and French politics have drawn criticism. Several of her remarks have led to fines for inciting racial hatred, which she has publicly defended as “freedom of expression.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Oh that’s right, I had forgotten that she had said some “controversial” things about immigration. Good for her.
Dang. Pretenders. You got a million of them.
Perhaps the "Trust The Science" people have been lying to us?
You need a Jayne Mansfield thread so you can do Siouxsie and the Banshees.
A gold medal horrible mother but boy does she love animals.
also a Charlie’s angels thread for Elvis Costello
Billy Mumy, as a top child actor, got to be with EVERYONE!
Currently binge watching Hollywood graveyards, which looks at the various grave of the famous and not so famous - and in the process learned a lot of trivia.
This is a surprise as I thought the show had run a tiny segment of BB and her grave/
huh/
Jeff Childers had a great column on the subject Friday.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐒𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 “𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐬”
He figured out how cholera was spread but the establishment destroyed him while thousands died. Interesting read. The more things change, the more they stay the same.
https://www.coffeeandcovid.com/p/no-consensus-friday-october-17-2025
“Perhaps the “Trust The Science” people have been lying to us?”
Yeah they have...in recent years ever since they added the course to the medical curriculum.
Great song.
And Bill Mumy of Lost In Space and Babylon 5 fame.
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