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A statue of screen icon Brigitte Bardot has been unveiled in her hometown of Saint-Tropez to mark her 83rd birthday.

The 2.5m bronze statue is located at the town’s entrance and is based on one of the many water-colour paintings of her by Italian artist Milo Manara.

The actress-turned-animal rights campaigner became a household name when she starred in the controversial And God Created Woman, which was filmed in the Riviera resort in 1956. She set up home in the town two years later, and has lived there ever since.

Featuring her seated naked in a seashell, the statue reflects Bardot's reputation for appearing in steamy movie scenes, before she retired from acting at the age of 39, a mere 17 years after getting her big break.

Bardot did not attend the unveiling, but she called the statue an “immense honour,� AFP reported.