a new age of sexual liberation. On screen, she was a French cocktail of kittenish charm and continental sensuality. One publication called her "the princess of pout and the countess of come hither", but it was an image she grew to loathe. Ruthlessly marketed as a hedonistic sex symbol, Bardot was frustrated in her ambition to become a serious actress. Eventually, she abandoned her career to campaign for animal welfare. Years later, her reputation was damaged when she made homophobic slurs and was fined multiple times for inciting racial hatred. Her son also sued her for emotional damage after she said she would have preferred to "give birth to a little dog". It was a scar on the memory of an icon, who - in her prime - put the bikini, female desire, and French cinema on the map. Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot was born in Paris on 28 September 1934. She and her sister, Marie-Jeanne, grew up in a luxurious apartment in the plushest district of the city. Her Catholic parents were wealthy and pious, and demanded high standards of their children. The girls' friendships were closely policed. When they broke their parents' favourite vase, they were whipped as a punishment. With German troops occupying Paris during World War II, Bardot spent most of her time at home, dancing to records. Her mother encouraged her interest and enrolled her in ballet classes from the age of seven. Her teacher at the Paris Conservatoire described her as an outstanding pupil, and she went on to win awards. (BBC)