Brigitte Bardot health: Star on ‘severe’ health battle – ‘It suffocated and destroyed me’

Brigitte Bardot – Manina, La Fille Sans Voiles

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In her younger years Bardot, 87, lived a life of excess after meeting her husband and French screenwriter Roger Vadim who helped turn her into a sex icon. His 1956 film And God Created Women starring Bardot turned her into a world-wide success. She said that she even had more than 100 lovers, both men and women.

Talking about her suicide attempts, she said: “You cannot escape the distress which follows great happiness.

“My life has been a succession of brief moments of joy and terrible trials. With me, life is made up only of the best and the worst, of love and hate.

“Everything that happened to me was excessive.”

“She was a very confused, lonely person in the midst of overwhelming celebrity,” said Jeffrey Robinson who wrote Brigitte Bardot: Two Lives in 1994.

“[She was a] woman who suffered severe depression but never learned how to deal with it.”

The star has been open about what caused her mental health to deteriorate.

She wrote: “The sheer dread … that fills me when I am face-to-face with most humans … made me suffer atrociously during my life as an actress.

“In the beginning, I enjoyed having people talking about me, but very quickly, it suffocated and destroyed me. Throughout my 20 years starring in movies, each time filming began, I would break out with herpes.

“This worship of celebrity … suffocated me.”

She also suffered “distress” as she grew up with strict parents who only let her marry Vadim if he converted to catholicism, reported the Daily Mail.

He states: “Executives, business owners, and those in the public eye such as celebrities and athletes always face a perceived pressure to perform.

“There’s also the perception — and sometimes reality — of constant competition and failure doesn’t seem to be an option.

“Gruelling hours, constant criticism from others, including strangers, and a loss of the identity you once possessed can open the door to mental health conditions such as depression.”

Suicidal thoughts may be a symptom of severe depression.

If you or someone you know is having these thoughts, please reach out to speak to a professional about it.

The Samaritans non-judgemental helpline is available 24/7: 116 123

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