Funeral held for French movie and style icon Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot's funeral has been held with a private service in Saint-Tropez.

The French movie and style icon died on 28 December at the age of 91 at her home in the French Riviera resort, where she lived for more than half a century. Her husband, Bernard d'Ormale, revealed in an interview with Paris Match magazine that she had died from cancer after undergoing two operations.

Crowds gathered along the streets and applauded as the late film star's coffin arrived at the Notre-Dame-de-l'Assomption Catholic Church. People again applauded as the coffin was driven through the streets after the funeral.

The service was attended by family and guests, which included French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who was pictured arriving at the church. Guests also included people invited to the funeral by the Brigitte Bardot Foundation for the protection of animals.

In a speech at the service, Max Guazzini, a friend and secretary general of the foundation, said: "All the animals she saved and she loved form a procession behind her… thousands of animals say: Brigitte, we will miss you, we love you so much, thank you." In his interview released on Tuesday evening, Bardot's husband said the film legend had been "conscious and concerned about the fate of animals until the very end". Hundreds of people gathered in the coastal town to follow the farewell on large screens set up at the port and on two plazas.

After the church service, Bardot was buried "in the strictest privacy" at a cemetery overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, according to the Saint-Tropez town hall. A public homage was also held at a nearby site in Saint-Tropez.

Bardot's renowned sex symbol status was set in stone in 1956 with her portrayal of a rebellious teenager in And God Created Woman. Directed by her then-husband Roger Vadim and in line with the sexual liberation of the age, the movie featured Bardot dancing naked on tables, captivating audiences and scandalising censors in equal measure.

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