Bridget Jones star Renée Zellweger has described her role in the beloved film franchise a "pretty big blessing".
The actress made these comments as a statue of her character was unveiled at London's Leicester Square as part of the Scenes In The Square trail, featuring popular movie characters such as Batman, Harry Potter, Wonder Woman, Paddington, and Mary Poppins in the film centre in London.
The Bridget Jones statue is also the first to pay homage to a romantic comedy in the square.
"There’s an extended family that has built up around the experience of making these films and also, I have something in common with people that I meet all around the world", Zellweger told the PA news agency. "We all sort of share an affinity for Bridget, because she makes us feel seen, that's a pretty big blessing".
The statue itself shows Zellweger's character with a diary in her hands.
Speaking about this, Helen Fielding, author of the books behind the films, said: "For Bridget to be honoured as a British icon with her own statue alongside Paddington Bear, Mary Poppins and Admiral Lord Nelson – all right, he’s down the road a bit – is a huge thrill and reason for everyone to raise a glass of Chardonnay to being 'just as you are’".
"I am touched and delighted for Bridget and Renee and hope that Bridget’s mummy pants will ensure a sleek silhouette for this exciting statue unveiling".
The Bridget Jones franchise started as an anonymous column called, Bridget Jones's Diary in the Independent newspaper in 1995, which was written by Fielding. It had been originally intended to appear as a personal diary of a single woman in her 30s, going on to spawn over four novels.
This famous diary has been made into four different adaptions, Bridget Jones's Diary in 2001, Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason in 2004, Bridget Jones's Baby in 2016, which earned over £640 million worldwide. The fourth instalment, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, arrived earlier this year, breaking sales records within the first week of its release.
