In the final months of Brigitte Bardot‘s life, the actress underwent multiple surgeries to treat cancer, her husband Bernard d’Ormale told Paris Match. The two procedures, paired with her history of severe back pain, further weakened her health prior to her death on Dec. 28 at the age of 91.
“It slipped out two or three times in recent months, during moments of physical suffering, she would say: ‘I’m fed up, I want to leave…'” d’Ormale said. He noted that Bardot received assistance from nurses who “discreetly” visited their residence in Saint-Tropez on a daily basis. He also provided aid.
“I never left her side,” d’Ormale said. “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.” When Bardot died in the early morning, he was beside her. “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. “A sense of peace and tranquility settled over her face. And she became incredibly beautiful again, just like in her youth. You wouldn’t have believed she was 91.”
In October, Bardot issued a statement on social media to debunk rumors that she had died. “I don’t know which fool launched this fake news tonight about my passing, but rest assured that I’m doing well,” she said at the time. The post came after she spent three weeks in the hospital for a minor surgery and a “serious illness,” her press office reported earlier that month.
Bardot rarely shared updates about her health, having largely exited the public eye after retiring from acting in 1973 to become an animal rights activist. In 2023, it was reported that Saint-Tropez emergency services visited her home after she began to experience breathing problems.
Bardot’s funeral was held on the morning of Jan. 7 in Saint-Tropez.
