Entertainment · Celebrity · 15 hrs ago
Leaked Bardot letter adds to dispute over her estate
A private 2022 letter from Brigitte Bardot has become public as a dispute over her estate continues.
Bardot, a French actor who died in December 2025, wrote to Bernard d’Ormale, her longtime partner, that she felt he could not give her the support she needed.
Her estate was left to her son and her animal welfare foundation, with no mention of d’Ormale in the will.
The foundation says Bardot wanted her Saint-Tropez home, La Madrague, to belong to it and to be vacated after her death.
D’Ormale has been made to leave La Madrague and is now living in an apartment rented from the town hall, according to the reports.
He has criticised the foundation’s handling of Bardot’s belongings, while the foundation says it is carrying out her wishes.
The letter adds to the public dispute as lawyers draw up a final list of Bardot’s assets.
A leaked 2022 letter from Brigitte Bardot criticising Bernard d’Ormale has added to a dispute over her estate and the Brigitte Bardot Foundation.
The handwritten letter says Bardot felt d’Ormale had failed to give her the support and affection she wanted.
The Foundation and d’Ormale are in conflict over his departure from La Madrague, the sale of Bardot’s belongings and the handling of her estate.
Bardot’s will divided her estate between her only son, Nicolas Charrier, and the Foundation, with no mention of d’Ormale.
The Foundation says La Madrague belongs to it and that d’Ormale had to leave under Bardot’s instructions; he has criticised the Foundation’s actions.
- Who
- Brigitte Bardot, her former partner Bernard d’Ormale, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation and her son, Nicolas Charrier.
- What
- A leaked letter in which Bardot criticised d’Ormale has surfaced amid a dispute over her estate and his departure from La Madrague.
- When
- The letter is dated 17 November 2022. It became public in November 2026, after Bardot died in December 2025.
- Where
- Saint-Tropez, France, including Bardot’s former home, La Madrague; the letter was reported by French media.
- Why
- The letter has emerged amid disagreements over Bardot’s will, the Foundation’s decisions and d’Ormale’s departure from La Madrague.
Bernard d’Ormale
Brigitte Bardot Foundation
La Madrague
Bernard d’Ormale
d’Ormale objected to being made to leave the home he had shared with Bardot for many years.
Brigitte Bardot Foundation
The Foundation says the property belongs to it and that Bardot wanted it vacated within six months of her death.
Estate and belongings
Bernard d’Ormale
d’Ormale criticised the sale of Bardot’s personal belongings and has challenged the Foundation’s handling of the estate.
Brigitte Bardot Foundation
The Foundation says it is acting in accordance with Bardot’s wishes and legal obligations.
Treatment of d’Ormale
Bernard d’Ormale
His lawyer said he was treated deplorably and described their relationship as a 33-year love story.
Brigitte Bardot Foundation
A Foundation spokesperson said he was supported after Bardot’s death and that his refusal to leave La Madrague did not reflect the legal position.
Bardot dated a handwritten letter to d’Ormale describing distress in their relationship.
Bardot died at her home in Saint-Tropez.
Max Guazzani was elected president of the Brigitte Bardot Foundation, replacing d’Ormale.
Bardot’s personal belongings were sold at Hôtel Drouot in Paris.
d’Ormale found the entrance to La Madrague closed and was later reported to have left the property.
Nice-Matin reported that Bardot’s letter had been revealed and confirmed its authenticity.
- Letter date
- 17 November 2022
- Bardot’s death
- December 2025
- Former home
- La Madrague, Saint-Tropez
- Foundation president
- Max Guazzani, elected 16 September 2026
- Paris sale
- 21 September 2026
- Estate beneficiaries
- The Brigitte Bardot Foundation and Nicolas Charrier
4 sources
Brigitte Bardot inheritance row deepens after private letter to partner leaked
Brutal reason Brigitte Bardot cut her husband from her will emerges in leaked letter
« Tu m’as détruite patiemment jour après jour depuis trente ans » : la lettre d’échec et de souffrance de Brigitte Bardot adressée à son mari en 2022
« Narcissique, enfant gâté, colérique… » : la Fondation Bardot répond à Bernard d’Ormale, l’ex-compagnon de B.B.
What people are saying
Today I have reached the end-point of my distress... I am so in need of a shoulder, a support, a tenderness, a presence – which you are incapable of giving.
I am not accusing him of theft, but it's gone and that's a problem
He was treated deplorably by the foundation, worse than a criminal.
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.