The widower of Brigitte Bardot has revealed the French actress’ cause of death in a new interview. Bernard d’Ormale, who married the retired screen siren in 1992, spoke about his wife’s final days ahead of her death on December 28th, 2025.
The 91-year-old was laid to rest in Saint-Tropez, France, on January 7th, in a televised service. Mourners included French far-right politician Marine Le Pen, a symbolic invitation of Brigitte’s more controversial later years, marred by charges of racial hatred by the French government.
How did Brigitte Bardot die at 91?
Speaking to French publication Paris Match, Bernard revealed that Brigitte had been privately undergoing treatment for cancer. Although he declined to mention what type, the actress had previously been diagnosed with breast cancer in 1984. After a course of radiation therapy, the retired actress was in remission by 1986.
In October last year, reports broke that she had been hospitalized for surgery to tackle an undisclosed illness. The operation was reported as successful. In a new statement, Bernard stated that Brigitte underwent two surgeries shortly before her death, and suffered from “uncomfortable back pain”.
It was these ailments, the widower described, that were the cause of her desire to die in the near future. “It slipped out a couple of times in recent months, during moments of physical suffering,” Bernard said of the back pain. “She would say, ‘I’ve had enough, I want to go…’ ”
Bernard stated that he “never left [Brigitte’s] side” during her final days. During her last moments, “I was sleeping lightly next to 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,”
As she slipped away, Brigitte had “peace, a tranquility settled on her face,” according to her husband. “She became incredibly beautiful again, like in her youth. You wouldn’t have believed she was 91 years old.”
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