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Brigitte Bardot passed away at her Saint-Tropez, France, home on December 28, and now her widower Bernard d’Ormale is speaking out about her cause of death and last words.
On Tuesday, Bernard told French magazine Paris Match that Brigitte, 91, was battling cancer and had undergone two surgeries for the disease before she died.
D’Ormale added that Bardot had experienced severe back pain as well. At one point, she told her husband she was “fed up” and wanted to “leave.”
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Bernard was by her side when she died. He said, “I sat up when I heard her say ‘Pioupiou,’ that little nickname we used for each other in private, and then it was over.”
He said she died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones and her cats and dogs.
Bernard said of taking care of Brigitte, “I never left her side. I watched over her, supported by nurses who came discreetly every day… In the morning, when I served her the breakfast she loved. Like a child, she also had her afternoon snack: tea with milk and a croissant.”
Bardot’s service and burial took place in Saint-Tropez on Wednesday. CBS News reports hundreds turned out to follow the service on large screens set up in town.
The news outlet added that the service was held at Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption Catholic Church, attended by Bernard as well as Brigitte’s son Nicolas Charrier and his daughters.
After the service, Bardot is to be buried at a cemetery overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.
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Bardot shot to fame in the controversial 1956 film “And God Created Woman,” directed by her husband Roger Vadim.
She went on to become a global sex symbol and starred in dozens of films.
Later in life, Brigitte went on to become a well-known animal rights activist.
Bardot, however, was later criticized for taking on more extremist views as she spoke out against Muslims immigrating to France, as well as her controversial comments regarding the #MeToo movement and comparing LGBTQ+ people to pedophiles.
The actress was married four times, including to Roger Vadim from 1952-1957, Jacques Charrier from 1959-1963, and Gunter Sachs from 1966-1969.
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French Sex Symbol & Animal Rights Activist Brigitte Bardot Dies at 91
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She was married to d’Ormale, a far-right politico, for 33 years.
Bardot is also survived by her son Nicolas with Charrier, who was born in 1960. When they split, Jacques retained custody. According to People magazine, Brigitte and Nicolas were estranged when she died. She referred to that pregnancy as a “tumor,” and candidly admitted she was not cut out for motherhood.
Bardot’s son, in turn, mused that he would have been better taken care of had he been born an animal.
Bernard told Paris Match that Brigitte and Nicolas had recently reconnected and spent time together.