🔗 Share this article

The Oscar-winning actress has called the freshly installed statue of Bridget Jones as “adorable”, adding, “In my opinion, she’s a lot sweeter than me.”

The actress was speaking as the new statue commemorating the character she portrayed for over two decades was unveiled in London’s Leicester Square on Monday.

Bridget Jones was created in the mid-1990s by writer Helen Fielding, and originally translated for the big screen in 2001. The latest installment came out in recent months.

Talking at the unveiling, Fielding refused to rule out writing more, stating you should “never say never.”

The star noted that everyone can connect with Bridget, which explains her enduring charm.

“Her vulnerability, her authenticity,” she said. “We see our own reflections in her, we relate in her struggles.

“It reassures us for the others to be genuinely who we are. Real.”

The character of Bridget Jones resonated deeply with many female hearts, who found solace in her trials and tribulations.

From her embarrassing work blunders, to her notorious granny pants, Bridget connected with a age group who identified in her—and has gained a whole new set of new admirers too.

The latest movie in the franchise, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, was released in early this year, and depicts Bridget navigating life as a widowed mom and tackling today’s relationships.

It earned mixed reviews, but recorded the best cinema debut ever for a romantic comedy in the region, according to reports.

The film was billed as the conclusion in the franchise—but speaking at the ceremony, two longtime enthusiasts, Faye and Wayne, said they were certain there would be a sequel.

“There are so many things that were open-ended at the finale of the latest installment,” said Faye.

“Bridget keeps growing. I’d love to be with Bridget Jones all the way to the retirement home,” said Wayne.

When questioned about the possibility of a next installment in Bridget Jones’ story, Fielding said: “Anything is possible. Ideas arrive as a writer. So if a narrative appeared that I thought was authentic and engaging and fresh then I would write it.”

Certain critics think the struggling and flawed lead, who’s obsessed over her weight and love life, is not the ideal inspiration.

And Fielding herself has acknowledged in the past that elements of the story seem less relevant today.

“Bridget Jones’s Diary would be impossible to produce in the present day, written in this era, because all those workplace characters would be sacked,” she said in the past. “That was a distinct period.”

But reflecting on Monday, she said she aspired the overarching idea of the story would continue to chime for fans.

“In my view, to have the solace of seeing a persona that you can identify with, because they are real and imperfect and emotionally honest, it’s like having the friend you can be true with,” she said.

The monument is the first to honor a love story on the square’s Scenes in the Square exhibit.

The public art trail first debuted in recently with the installation of multiple figures including comedy legends, Mary Poppins, Batman, Bugs Bunny, Don Lockwood, Paddington Bear, Mr Bean and Wonder Woman.

In the time since, sculptures of Harry Potter, the iconic seat from Game of Thrones, Clifford the Big Red Dog and the adventurer have been included.