Bridget Bardot's two 'leading men' embroiled in bitter row 'as her rescue animals are put at risk'
The French icon suggested she would be buried among her multiple pets, who had names such as Sidonie the Goat, Bonhomme the Donkey, and Poupée the Pony.
By PETER ALLEN
Published: 22:00 GMT, 3 January 2026 | Updated: 02:18 GMT, 4 January 2026
As a cinema superstar turned animal rights activist, Brigitte Bardot pledged to devote her life to all creatures great and small.
In the years leading up to her death last Sunday aged 91, the French icon even suggested she would be buried among her multiple pets, who had names such as Sidonie the Goat, Bonhomme the Donkey, and Poupée the Pony.
Now, however, two of the leading men in Ms Bardot's life are locked in a bitter row that has left many of the animals homeless.
Fourth husband Bernard D'Ormale, 83, said the pets were 'malnourished and living in filth' after ill-treatment by the man Ms Bardot appointed to care for them.
The Mail on Sunday can reveal he is Eric Gousset, 55, who has run Ms Bardot's La Garrigue animal encampment for four years.
The 25-acre plot is a short drive from La Madrague, the main Bardot home in Saint-Tropez.
Ms Bardot, who bought La Garrigue in 1979, built a Mexican- style chapel by the main house, and buried her animals around it.
Following reports of animal mistreatment in late 2025, relations with Mr Gousset became frosty and the Brigitte Bardot Foundation removed 30 pets from his care, including 15 goats, hens, geese, a pony and a donkey.
French cinema star Brigitte Bardot was a passionate horse and animal lover, becoming an animal activist
Eric Gousset ran Ms Bardot's La Garrigue animal encampment for four years but after reports of animal mistreatment in 2025, the Brigitte Bardot Foundation removed 30 pets from his care
Brigitte Bardot's husband Bernard D'Ormale during the closing ceremony of the 6th Festival for the TV fiction in Saint-Tropez
On Saturday night, Mr Gousset, who denies any wrongdoing, said he is banned from contacting Mr D'Ormale, meaning the four dogs, 15 cats, nine sheep and four pigs left at the site face 'a very uncertain future'. He added: 'We have always acted according to Brigitte's wishes.' Mr Gousset said he is still under contract to work at La Garrigue, which Ms Bardot last visited in August.
'It was her whole life... she knew all the animals' names,' he said. 'The way things are going, there won't be anything left.'
The Bardot Foundation confirmed animals were removed in November due to the 'negligence of the caretaker'. Asked about those who remained, a spokesman said 'nothing has been decided'.
Ms Bardot had said she wanted to be 'buried with my animals', but a source said she is likely to be laid to rest in Saint-Tropez's maritime cemetery following her funeral on Wednesday.