Inheritance Fight Over Brigitte Bardot Escalates After Leaked Letter
A private note from Bardot to her longtime companion fuels a bitter dispute over her estate.
Wow! The saga surrounding the late screen legend Brigitte Bardot’s inheritance has taken a dramatic turn.
A hand‑written note dated November 2022, three years before Bardot’s death in Saint‑Tropez, has surfaced. In the letter she accuses her companion of “patiently destroying me day after day” and ends with a stark declaration that she needs a shoulder… which you are incapable of giving.
The document, addressed to Bernard de Chiara, is now being used by the Brigitte Bardot Foundation as a potent weapon in the ongoing legacy battle.
De Chiara, 85, was forced out of the seaside house La Madrague a week ago. He had lived with Bardot since the early 1990s and, according to reports, possesses neither a bank account nor a social‑security card after years of financial support from the actress.
His fury grew after the Foundation organized a September sale of household objects taken from Bardot’s Paris flat. The auction generated nearly €1 million (£835,000), which will be split between the Foundation and Bardot’s only son, Nicolas Charrier, who resides discreetly in Oslo.
“I found it extraordinary that just a few months after Brigitte’s death, they already wanted to make a souvenir out of her. I did not appreciate that one bit,” de Chiara said.
The letter begins with “Bernard, it’s a failure!” and recounts how Bardot gave “everything” hoping for a companion who could “share my joys and immense sorrows… who is happy at the life I am giving him.” She concludes that she has reached “the end‑point of my distress.”
Known under the adopted name “’Ormal” – a pun on the French dort mal – de Chiara was a businessman and former associate of far‑right leader Jean‑Marie Le Pen.
Friends describe the couple’s relationship as “up‑and‑down.” They never married under French law, yet he cared for her until her death.
When Bardot’s will was read last December, it divided her estate between the Foundation and her son, with no mention of de Chiara. She also stipulated that La Madrague must be unoccupied within six months of her death.
Lawyers are now compiling a definitive list of Bardot’s assets. The Foundation has accused de Chiara of removing items from La Madrague, including her Mini Moke jeep. “I am not accusing him of theft, but it’s gone and that’s a problem,” said Foundation President Max Guazzani on Tuesday.
Stay tuned as this inheritance row continues to unfold, with the leaked letter adding fresh fuel to an already heated dispute.
