Renée Zellweger unveiled a statue of Bridget Jones this week in Leicester Square. Celebrating the character she played for 20 years on screen. She called the new statue “adorable”, adding: “I think she’s much cuter than me.”
Bridget Jones was created in 1996 by author Helen Fielding, and was first adapted for the big screen in 2001. The fourth film came out earlier this year.
Speaking at the unveiling, Helen Fielding refused to rule out taking her story further, saying you should “never say never”. She has previously admitted some parts of the story have not aged well.” Bridget Jones’s Diary couldn’t be written now, set now, because all those men in the office would be sacked,” she said last year. “It was a really different time.” But speaking on Monday, she said she hoped the wider message of the book would continue to chime for readers .”I think to have the comfort of seeing a character that you can relate to, because they are real and human and emotionally honest, it’s like having the friend you can be honest with,” she said.
Renee Zellweger added that everyone can relate to Bridget, which explains her huge appeal. “[It’s her] vulnerability, her humanness,” she said. “We recognise ourselves in her, we recognise ourselves in her struggles. “It makes it OK for the rest of us to be authentically who we are. Imperfect.”
(Source BBC News: 17th November 2025)