Bardot's Complex Motherhood: A Look at Her Relationship with Son Nicolas

Following the announcement of French icon Brigitte Bardot’s death at the age of 91 on December 28, 2025, admirers of the actress and model began to examine her personal life more closely.

While Bardot was most recognized for her film career and dedication to animal welfare, her private life also frequently made headlines. Bardot was a mother to one child, a son named Nicolas Charrier, who was born in 1960 during her marriage to her second husband, Jacques Charrier.

By her own account, motherhood wasn’t particularly fulfilling for Bardot—she was remarkably candid about her reservations regarding becoming a mother in her memoirs and in several media interviews.

“I gazed at my flat, slender stomach in the mirror like a cherished companion to whom I was about to close a final lid,” she wrote in Initiales B.B.

Lionel Richie’s Family Guide: Get to Know His 3 Children and Their Mothers

Despite initially attempting to block the book’s publication with a lawsuit, Charrier later penned his own memoir, partly to counteract the impact of Bardot’s omissions on her reputation.

“The truth of her affection for Nicolas, as evidenced by the letters I retained, is far more commendable than the distressing accounts she provided,” he stated to The Telegraph in June 2025.

Continue reading to learn more about Bardot’s complex relationship with her son Nicolas.

She Welcomed Her Son At Home

Bardot chose to deliver her son at her residence in Paris, France, successfully bringing her baby boy into the world on January 11, 1960.

She Acknowledged Her Hesitation About Motherhood

Bardot was forthcoming about her doubts concerning motherhood in her memoirs. “I gazed at my flat, slender stomach in the mirror like a cherished companion to whom I was about to close a final lid,” she wrote in her 1995 memoir, Initiales B.B.

According to Newsweek, Bardot also confessed to striking herself in the abdomen in an effort to induce a miscarriage. She reportedly said she would have “preferred to give birth to a small dog.”

Her Son Was Primarily Raised By His Grandparents

Also according to Newsweek, following Bardot and Charrier’s divorce, her ex-husband was granted sole custody of their son, who was largely raised by his paternal grandparents.

They Attempted To Prevent The Release Of Her Memoir

In 1997, Nicolas and Charrier jointly filed a lawsuit against Bardot in an effort to halt the publication of her revealing memoir, Initiales BB. The actress alleged that her former spouse was abusive, while she described her growing son as “like a tumor.”

Her Ex-Husband Offered His Perspective

Charrier published his own memoir in 1997, stating that it was intended to “rehabilitate” his ex-wife’s image.

“The reality of her love for Nicolas, as confirmed by the letters I kept, is far more commendable than the distressing accounts she provided,” he told The Telegraph.

Brigitte Stopped Discussing Her Son

In 2024, Bardot revealed that she had promised her son she would refrain from discussing him publicly.

“I promised Nicolas I would never mention him in my interviews,” she told the French publication Le Point.

She Had Grandchildren and Great-Grandchildren

During the same interview with Le Point, Bardot disclosed that she has two granddaughters named Théa and Anna Charrier and three great-grandchildren. “Yes, I’m the great-grandmother of three little Norwegian children who don’t speak French and whom I rarely see,” she explained.