Brigitte Bardot: French cinema icon dies aged 91

The actress was a symbol of sexual liberation in the 1950s but became increasingly controversial after making homophobic and racist slurs.

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The cinema icon - "BB" as she was known in her home country - acted in almost 50 films, including And God Created Woman, but retired in 1973 to devote her life to animal welfare.

French President Emmanuel Macron said the nation was mourning "a legend of the century", while the Brigitte Bardot Foundation remembered her as a "world-renowned actress".

Later in life, Bardot's reputation was damaged after she made homophobic slurs and was fined multiple times for inciting racial hatred.

The Brigitte Bardot Foundation she established said in a statement that it was announcing her death with "immense sadness".