Brigitte Bardot’s image complicated by her controversial politics

Brigitte Bardot said she only wanted to be remembered for the animal rights struggle – which she called her sole cause. Photograph: Charly Hel/Prestige/Getty Images

Brigitte Bardot, hailed as the French Marilyn Monroe, was the first major film star to channel her glamour and fame into supporting France’s far right, who she backed for more than 30 years.

Up until her death on Sunday, Bardot had expressed her contentment at Marine Le Pen’s anti-immigration National Rally party’s rising share of the vote before the 2027 presidential race.