Brigitte Bardot, the iconic French actress, has been hospitalized once again due to a ‘serious illness’ following a recent surgery. At 91, Bardot’s health has been a subject of concern as she continues to receive medical care.

Reports indicate that Bardot was admitted to Saint-Jean Hospital, a private medical facility in Toulon, approximately ten days ago. This comes after she had returned home following a minor surgical procedure in early October, which was linked to an undisclosed health issue.

After the initial surgery, Bardot had been recuperating in her residence in Saint-Tropez, located on the scenic French Riviera. Her stay in the hospital prior to this was for three weeks, during which time she received treatment at the same Toulon clinic.

At that time, a spokesperson for Bardot reassured the public through the Daily Mail, stating, “Madame Bardot has returned home and is now resting. She’s fine.”

However, recent developments reported by the French news outlet Nice Matin reveal that Bardot was once again urgently taken back to the hospital, reportedly due to complications related to the same illness.

Now, French publication Nice Matin has reported that Brigitte was rushed back to hospital 10 days ago relating to the same illness.

Brigitte Bardot has been rushed to hospital again as she battles a ‘serious illness’ after undergoing surgery (Seen in 2007)

The actress, 91, reportedly was transferred to Saint-Jean Hospital, a private clinic in Toulon, around ten days ago, where she is still receiving treatment

Last month, Brigitte was forced to release a statement confirming she is not dead following her recent hospital stay. 

She was furious when Aqababe – a hugely popular influencer who specialises in celebrity news in his home country – said Brigitte had passed away in the South of France.

In posts on X and Instagram, Aqababe wrote: ‘According to my exclusive information, Brigitte Bardot died today.

‘Her coffin was ordered in Saint-Paul-de-Jarrat in the 09 (Ariège) department.’

Aqababe, whose real name is Aniss Zitouni, 27, added: ‘An icon has passed away, leaving behind an unforgettable legacy and an eternal imprint on the hearts of the French’.

But a few hours later, Brigitte took to X to announce: ‘I don’t know who the idiot is who started this fake news about my disappearance this evening, but know that I am fine and that I have no intention of bowing out. A word to the wise’.

Elsewhere French media reported that Brigitte was in hospital suffering from a serious illness and had undergone surgery.

She was staying at her home in Saint-Tropez when she was admitted to a hospital in Toulon.

Last month, Brigitte was forced to release a statement confirming she is not dead following her recent hospital stay 

The film star underwent surgery and is now said to be ‘fine’ according to a rep (pictured in 1970)

In July 2023, it was reported the star had suffered respiratory problems amid soaring temperatures in Saint-Tropez that summer.

She was attended to by medics at her home in the south of France, after she experienced some breathing difficulties.

Bernard d’Ormale, the actress’s husband, told Var-Matin at the time: ‘It was around 9am when Brigitte had trouble breathing’ and described the health scare as a ‘respiratory distraction’.

He said: ‘[Her breathing] was stronger than usual but she did not lose consciousness. Let’s call it a moment of respiratory distraction.’

Brigitte was given oxygen by the medics and they ‘stayed to watch her’ for some time, before they left the actress’s home.

Bernard shared: ‘Like all people of a certain age, she can no longer bear the heat. It happens at 88 years old. She must not make useless efforts.’

The actress made her breakthrough in 1952 in the film The Girl In The Bikini and became one of the most famous French postwar film stars.

In 1956, Brigitte starred alongside her estranged husband Roger Vadim in And God Created Woman, which, despite the Hollywood censors’ cuts, became the highest-grossing foreign film ever released in the US.

The Parisian wasn’t a movie newbie, having already starred in several films and earned the nickname ‘sex kitten’.

American theatre managers were arrested for showing her on-screen exploits, but the press outrage only enticed viewers. In 1957, priests in New York told people not to view Bardot’s films. The Vatican, which six years later accused Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton of ‘erotic vagrancy’, condemned Bardot as ‘evil’.

‘There lies Brigitte,’ one critic grumbled, ‘stretched from end to end of the screen, bottoms up and bare as a censor’s eyeball,’ in a review meant to appeal to morality. The queues for tickets just grew longer.