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.
Gee, I thought she was already dead.
No, I do not follow celebrities.
Let’s not forget Miss Hedy Lamar (that’s Hedy, not Hedley).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maa1xTKu7aQ
Jeff Beck and Johnny Depp - This is a Song for Miss Hedy Lamarr [Official Music Video]
Even in Bob Dylan lyrics —
== == ==
Well, my telephone rang it would not stop
It’s President Kennedy callin’ me up
He said, “My friend, Bob, what do we need to make the country grow”?
I said, “My friend, John, “Brigitte Bardot
Anita Ekberg
Sophia Loren”
Country’ll grow
Time and tide wait for no man (or woman). We all get old.
They don’t make them like they used to. She was a unique gem.
Imdb says her last movie was 1973....quite a few TV appearances since then (mostly European).
We only just recently lost Claudia Cardinale! Viva BB!
In any population measured in the billions, there are always going to be individuals who are 5 or 6 standard deviations away from the mean. While the cigarette smoking / cancer link is not as interesting as zombie bite / zombification link from a literary standpoint, the fact remains that below a certain level of risk, there will always be individuals who escape the probable consequences of exposure. At the same time, on the other end of the scale, there are almost certainly lung cancer victims who only inhaled second-hand smoke one time but got lung cancer anyway.
In France thousands are killed off in heat waves as for some reason they do not use a/c.
It depends on when you quit smoking. Years ago I heard the theory that for every year you smoke, it a takes one full year for your lungs to recover.
I started smoking at 18 and quit at 39, which is 21 years of 2 packs of Winstons per day. In theory, my lungs should have recovered at age 60. My blood oxygen level today at 75 ranges from 96 to 99% and I have no lung issues.
My brother quit smoking in his 60’s. At age 75 his blood oxygen level was 86% and he was on oxygen all day long and could hardly breath.
So yes, if BB quit early, she recovered for a long life.
Smoking and excessive boozing is the worst thing you can do to your body.
I’ve heard that even years after quitting smoking, a person got massages, and the smell of cigarette smoke can still be smelled coming out through their skin.
apparently the toxins get into all the body cells, not just the lungs.
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