Bardot letter to partner emerges amid dispute over her estate

A handwritten letter attributed to Brigitte Bardot has been made public amid a dispute between her long-time partner and the animal welfare foundation she established over her estate and her former home.

In the November 2022 letter, the French actress told Bernard de Chiara, known as Bernard d’Ormale, that he was “patiently destroying me day after day”, according to the BBC’s translation. She also expressed a need for support and tenderness.

The local news site Var Actu reports that Le Figaro disclosed the letter on 2 November. It describes a difficult moment in the couple’s relationship, but does not establish that they remained estranged: the BBC reports that d’Ormale lived with Bardot until her death in December 2025 and cared for her as she was dying.

The disclosure follows a dispute over La Madrague, Bardot’s house in Saint-Tropez. In an interview with RTL in late October, d’Ormale said a guard had stopped him returning to the property after he went out. He criticised how his departure had been handled and said a compromise could have been reached.

The Fondation Brigitte Bardot says it owns La Madrague and that Bardot specified in a notarised document that all occupants should leave within six months of her death. On 3 November, the foundation said d’Ormale had been able to collect some personal belongings the previous week and that it considered the incident closed.

D’Ormale has also criticised a September sale of Bardot’s household objects. The BBC reports that it raised nearly €1 million, shared between the foundation and Bardot’s son, Nicolas Charrier.