"I'm devastated": Bernard d'Ormale doubts the authenticity of the letter in which Brigitte Bardot accuses him of having "destroyed" her

Bernard d’Ormale reacted this Wednesday to the disclosure of a letter attributed to Brigitte Bardot, in which the actress accused her husband of having caused her suffering for 30 years. Deeply affected by the publication of this intimate letter, the widower of the star, who passed away on December 28, 2025, questions its authenticity. This new affair emerges while a conflict already opposes Bernard d’Ormale to the Brigitte Bardot Foundation regarding the actress’s estate and the ownership of La Madrague in Saint-Tropez.

The letter at the origin of this controversy is dated November 17, 2022. Brigitte Bardot draws a particularly painful assessment of her marriage to Bernard d’Ormale, whom she married in 1992. After 30 years of life together, the former actress expresses her loneliness and her feeling of having been emotionally abandoned by her partner.

The letter begins with these words: « Bernard, it’s a failure! » Brigitte Bardot explains that she had hoped for a relationship based on complicity, attention, and the simple pleasures of daily life. She notably mentions her desire to share a coffee, a glass of wine with friends, or a car ride with her husband.

The tone then becomes much more accusatory. « You have patiently destroyed me, day after day, for 30 years », she writes, before confiding: « Today, I am at the end of my distress. » She reproaches her husband for his inability to provide the support and affection she expected. The document ends with two particularly harsh words: « Checkmate! »

Bernard d’Ormale “devastated” and questions about the letter

The disclosure of this correspondence deeply affected Bernard d’Ormale. This Wednesday, his state of mind was summed up by one word: « Devastated ». The former advisor to Jean-Marie Le Pen also questions the authenticity of the document attributed to his wife.

These doubts arise while the letter, publicly reproduced, has been presented as authenticated. The accusations it contains contrast with the image of a couple who remained united until Brigitte Bardot’s passing at age 91. Despite the reproaches made in this 2022 letter, Bernard d’Ormale stayed by his wife during her final years and until her death.

The publication of this letter also occurs amid revelations about the actress’s private life. On Tuesday, 19 particularly intimate love letters addressed to Jacques Charrier were auctioned at Christie’s⁠. Estimated between 100,000 and 150,000 euros, this correspondence ultimately did not find a buyer, with bids stopping at 55,000 euros excluding fees.

La Madrague at the heart of a conflict between the widower and the Foundation

The revelation of this letter took place while relations between Bernard d’Ormale and the Brigitte Bardot Foundation have strongly deteriorated since the actress’s passing. The main dispute concerns La Madrague, the famous property in Saint-Tropez where the couple had lived for several decades.

Brigitte Bardot had donated this residence to her Foundation. She had also stipulated in a notarized act that the property be vacated by all occupants within six months following her death. This provision directly concerned Bernard d’Ormale, who wished to continue residing there.

At the end of October, the actress’s widower denounced the conditions under which he was forced to leave the premises. The Foundation, now chaired by Max Guazzini, responded that it was exclusively applying the wishes of its founder.

In a statement published Tuesday, the organization confirmed that Bernard d’Ormale was able to return to La Madrague the previous week to retrieve some personal belongings. The Foundation now considers the dispute regarding his departure closed.

An inventory of La Madrague and an ongoing estate settlement

This Wednesday, an inventory of the belongings present at La Madrague is being organized as part of the estate settlement. François-Xavier Kelidjian, executor of Brigitte Bardot’s will, is expected to participate in these operations alongside representatives of the Foundation.

The estate is also scheduled for a notarial appointment on November 9, which Nicolas Charrier, Brigitte Bardot’s only son from her marriage to Jacques Charrier, is expected to attend.

The Brigitte Bardot Foundation, designated universal legatee, is to continue the animal protection activities to which the former actress dedicated the second part of her life. Created in 1986 and recognized as a public utility in 1992, it is now led by Max Guazzini.

Bernard d’Ormale, aged 85, thus faces both the material consequences of his wife’s estate and the disclosure of particularly painful marital reproaches. The letter dated November 2022, whose authenticity he now doubts, was made public nearly four years after its writing and ten months after Brigitte Bardot’s death.