My sad letters from Bardot, by Jane Birkin: Friend says Sixties star is now a 'recluse' with a 'dubious private life'
- Co-star in Don Juan: ‘The postcards I get from her are always rather sad'
- French pair both dated iconic French singer Serge Gainsbourg
- Miss Bardot, 79, is an ardent animal activist but with 'dubious private life'
As an international sex symbol, her glamorous lifestyle saw her both loved and envied in equal measure.
But one of Brigitte Bardot’s oldest friends - and rivals - says the former Sixties siren is now a ‘sad’ recluse with a ‘dubious private life’.
British singer Jane Birkin, who starred with the French actress in her last film Don Juan in 1973, believes that old age has not treated Miss Bardot particularly well.
Siren: Miss Bardot, pictured left at the height of her fame, is now more reclusive, according to her friend and co-star Jane Birkin. Right: The actress, an animal rights activist, after meeting the French president in 2007
Now 79, her once-smooth complexion has been wrinkled by years of sun exposure, and the ardent animal rights activist often walks with the aid of a crutch. A still youthful-looking Miss Birkin, 66, said: ‘She still writes to me, because I give money to her dogs’ association.
‘The postcards I get from her are always rather sad. I think she has difficulty walking.
‘Although she has a dubious private life with rather doubtful characters, she’s made people have a sort of moral conscience.’
She added: ‘People consider her as being animal-mad because human beings have been so disappointing to her, which I think is true. She was so beautiful that people were envious of her.
‘In a scene when we came out of a car, she’d been crying, so she had a slightly red face and people were delighted. They were cruel to her because she was dangerous and could have nicked their husbands.’
Miss Birkin and Miss Bardot both dated French singer Serge Gainsbourg, and both recorded versions of his single Je t’aime moi non plus.
Brigitte Bardot was once a pin-up for every teenage boy. She is pictured in the film Le Mepris (1963)
Miss Bardot pictured during the filming of La Parisienne. She starred alongside Sean Connery and dated the iconic French singer Serge Gainsbourg, recording a version of his classic single Je t'aime moi non plus
Je t’aime was originally written for Miss Bardot in 1967 when the couple had a brief affair.
But when it was released two years later, the female part was sung by Jane Birkin, who had since started up a relationship with Gainsbourg.
However Miss Birkin insisted that the pair were friends and never saw themselves as rivals, even when the song’s earlier version was released.
She added: ‘Serge rang me up later in life and said, “I’ve got bad news for you. Bardot has rung and you know what she’s like – she wants money for her dogs, so I’ll bring out the original version of Je t’aime.”
‘I did sort of think oh my gosh, now people are going to prefer the first version. But her wonderful version was very different, more sensual and more womanly.’
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