top cx logo
cx logo
Explorearrow down
search icon

Bardot says she ‘always felt ugly’

The star opened up about her fears of not matching up to her glamorous image in a rare interview with a French magazine

ANIMAL rights campaigner and former 1960s icon Brigitte Bardot has said she used to think she was ugly at the height of her fame for her feminine charm and glamorous looks.

The former movie star and pop singer, who lives a reclusive life near Saint-Tropez, said in a rare interview, with Vogues Hommes International: “I tried to make myself as pretty as possible and even like that I found myself ugly.

“I found it incredibly hard to go out, to show myself. I was afraid of not matching up to what people expected me to be. Today at my age, I don’t give a damn. I don’t want to seduce anyone or anything.”

She felt “literally crushed by fame,” she said. “No one can imagine to awful it was. A torture. I couldn’t live like that any more.”

Bardot, 78, said that all she wants now is solitude.

“As I naturally have a contemplative nature, it suits me fine. I don’t like today’s world. If it was different I might not live so cut off from it.”

As for her daily life, she admits she suffers hip problems, but refuses to have it operated on. “I can’t go for a stroll any more, I can’t swim any more. But I’m lucky when I see what animals go through. So then, I feel like I’ve got nothing to complain about, and that really bucks me up.”

Her biggest pleasures now are enjoying nature, she said. “Things like the little miracle that is a flower coming into bloom, the dance of a bee, the immensity of the sea; animals of course, for their purity, their courage and faithfulness.”

Resident or second-home owner in France?
Benefit from our daily digest of headlines and how-to's to help you make the most of life in France
By joining the newsletter, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy
See more popular articles
The Connexion Help Guides
featured helpguide
Income Tax in France 2023 (for 2022 income)*
Featured Help Guide
- Primarily aimed at Britons, covers pensions, rent, ISAs, shares, savings and interest - but also contains significant general information pertinent to readers of other nationalities - Overview of online declarations + step-by-step guide to the French printed forms - Includes updates given automatically after this year's site opened
Get news, views and information from France