In fact, all the fuss surrounding her birthday annoys her. “I’m fed up with this birthday,” she confided to AFP. “I’m tired of it because it’s harassment; I’m really being asked a lot from all sides. Fortunately, I don’t turn 90 every day.” It’s been a long time since the sex symbol of the 50s and 60s turned the page on big parties and other social events to become the most discreet of stars, “without an agent, without a press officer, without artifice or glitter,” notes Paris Match.
10 things a bit forgotten about Brigitte Bardot, who is celebrating her 90th birthday (videos)
“I flee humanity”
Her refuge is La Madrague, her legendary house in Saint-Tropez acquired in 1958. Far from the luxury of palaces, she lives there in what she calls “her mess.” “A house is lively when it’s messy. You don’t live in a museum,” she confided to Le Parisien. She spends her mornings there, away from prying eyes. This is where she catches up on the news, surrounded by her animals. Although her last two dogs have died, there are still cats and pigeons that invite themselves into her home and that she feeds. “I flee humanity and have a silent solitude.“
On the other hand, don’t expect to see her appear on the small private beach of her property. It’s been ages since she frequented the place that has turned into a spot for tourists. They gather in boats passing nearby, hoping for… Obviously in vain.
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A fiery letter
In the afternoons, she spends her time at La Guarrigue, her second home. Located not far from La Madrague, it is here that her foundation is based. She takes in lost, abandoned, or abused animals. There are currently 11,250, according to Le Parisien. Not to mention those she calls her “big ones,” meaning her farm animals: ponies, pigs, goats, sheep, and horses.
She answers the many letters addressed to her and also writes letters, sometimes scathing ones. Like the one she sent to President Emmanuel Macron in April 2023, in which she called him an “evil being” due to his inaction against animal suffering. A fiery letter in which she scolded the resident of the Élysée, labeling him a coward and criticizing his contempt for the French. This was not the first time she had pulled the ears of the head of state in such a manner.
The protection of species and animal welfare are the battles of her life. Despite the solicitations and exorbitant fees, Brigitte Bardot has never renounced her commitment; she has never returned to cinema. “I decided to stop for the animals, […] I had to give to others, to the animals, what had been offered to me all my life,” she confessed to Le Monde in August 2021.
At 90, despite the difficulties she has in moving around – she only does so with two crutches – she does not give up. She hopes to see come true one day the wish she has held dear for half a century: to end the horse meat trade. “When I left cinema, that was the first thing I asked for. To stop killing and eating horses in France. Well, I haven’t achieved anything at all!” And on the subject, she is aware of everything, even the actions of the Walloon ministers. In an interview she gave us in 2016, she called Carlo Di Antonio, then the Walloon minister in charge of animal welfare, a “handsome disgusting.” She criticized him for not changing the Belgian law to allow the rescue of horses from the slaughterhouse.
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Free Paul Watson, the protector of whales
Today, another fight has been added to Brigitte Bardot’s list of concerns: Paul Watson. The American-Canadian environmental activist is now imprisoned in Greenland (Denmark) for taking action against whalers. Tokyo demands his extradition. “He must not be extradited to Japan. There, he will die. It’s a very harsh regime that offers no favors. And in prison, Paul is 73 years old…,” she explains in the pages of Le Parisien.
“Yes, I support Marine Le Pen”
Politically, Brigitte Bardot does not hide it; she leans to the right. Too far right for some. In 2023, on LCI, she lamented the disappearance of classic right-wing politics, known as Gaullist, which she identified with. In her view, it has been replaced by the National Rally, which she does not consider extreme right. “The word ‘extreme’ is superfluous,” she said.
She has never hidden her support for Marine Le Pen, which she reiterated in the interview given to Le Parisien for her 90th birthday. “Yes, I support Marine Le Pen. There was a wonderful power presenting itself, and then they were eliminated. I find Jordan Bardella very, very good. But it’s so hard to set France right. It might not be such a bad thing that he didn’t become Prime Minister during such an unmanageable period. It wasn’t the right time to be in power.“