Brigitte Bardot cut her husband of 33 years out of her will before her death – writing in a letter that has now been leaked to a French newspaper: “For 30 years, you have patiently destroyed me, day after day.”
The Parisian actor, aged 91, died in December 2025 at the Saint-Tropez home she shared with husband Bernard d’Ormale.
In the wake of Bardot’s death, d’Ormale continued living at the iconic La Madrague residence and stepped in to take over as president of the actor’s animal protection foundation.
But it has now been revealed that d’Ormale has been evicted from the multi-million-dollar property and, in a letter dated 17 November 2022 and published by Le Figaro, Bardot wrote: “Bernard, it's a failure.
“I had a visceral need for a companion who would give me love and accompany me on my last path in life, who would be happy to sit and have a coffee with me.”
Bardot added that she needed “someone who would take me for a drive, to help me clear my head, who would be smiling – genuinely happy – with the life I offer him. SMILING!!!”.
“Today, I have reached the absolute limit of my distress,” she continues. “For 30 years, you have patiently destroyed me, day after day.
“I am in such desperate need of a shoulder to lean on, of support, of tenderness, of a presence – things you are simply incapable of giving me. Checkmate!”
Bardot and d’Ormale married in Norway in 1992 but their marriage was not legally recognised in France.
The actor's fortune has been split between her son, Nicolas-Jacques Charrier, aged 66, and her foundation.
When 85-year-old d’Ormale’s eviction was first reported last month, he told Nice Matin newspaper: “All this is sickening. I’ve lived there for 35 years, and they kick me out.”
He is now living in a council home in Saint-Tropez, according to reports.
Bardot’s right-wing politics left a stain on her legacy after her death, and in her later years, her name was often synonymous with controversy as she drew criticism for making racist and offensive statements on multiple occasions.
D’Ormale had served as an adviser to the ultra-right-wing National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen and according to reports, his political beliefs and background caused discontent with some of the 300-strong staff at the Brigitte Bardot Foundation.
He exited as president in September, after less than a year in the role, and was replaced by sports executive Max Guazzini.
Prior to the release of the letter, d’Orlame’s lawyer said: “We shouldn't forget that he's 85 years old, an elderly person.
“He was treated deplorably by the foundation, worse than a criminal. You wonder why there’s so much aggression towards a man who shared 33 years of his life with Madame Bardot. It really was a 33-year love story.”
A spokesperson for the foundation told the Daily Mail: “Everyone experiences grief in their own way, but this does not reflect reality at all. [D'Ormale] was well-supported at the time of Brigitte's passing and in the months that followed.
“He simply refuses to accept having to leave La Madrague, even though it is not his home – Brigitte Bardot donated it to her foundation in 1992 – and his departure is a matter of legal obligation.”
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