THE FOURTH BRIDGE
| Published date | 15 April 2024 |
| Publication title | Huddersfield Daily Examiner |
Writer Helen Fielding originally penned the column anonymously but brought out Bridget Jones's Diary in 1996, followed by the Edge Of Reason two years later.
They sold more than 15 million copies and were published in 40 countries. A third book, Bridget Jones's Baby: The Diaries, was published in 2016.
The first book began with a long list of Bridget's new year resolutions, which included a promise not to drink more than 14 alcohol units a week, not to smoke and to spend more than she earned.
She also vowed not to waste money on pasta makers, ice cream machines or other culinary devices which would never be used, buy books by unreadable literary authors to put impressively on shelves or splash out on exotic underwear - "since pointless as have no boyfriend".
It was inevitable that a movie would follow. American star Renée Zellweger produced a flawless British accent, put on 25lbs and worked at a British publishing company for a month as she prepared to play Bridget in 2001.
Alexandra
Heminsley was a junior press officer at Picador when a young woman called Bridget arrived for two weeks' work experience in 2000. Little did she know it was actually Renée who was there to research the part of her alter-ego.
Alexandra recalled: "We sat on opposite sides of the partition, so if I stood up I could see her desk. The phones diverted to me and to her. There was no social media then, you had to answer the phone.
"After two or three days, I started to hear her say, 'Hello, publicity,' just like me, and I wondered if she was taking the mickey.
"After she'd left, she wrote me a to thank me for looking after her, so I didn't feel like I'd been taken for a fool - and I had a laugh with my boss about it."
The movie became an international success, with Bridget observing: "It is a truth universally acknowledged that when one part of your life starts going OK, another falls spectacularly to pieces."
Bridget's creator Helen Fielding
Colin Firth as Mark Darcy, and
Hugh Grant, as Daniel Cleaver, kept Bridget's love life interesting and the film's publicity proclaimed "Health Warning: Adopting Bridget's lifestyle could seriously damage your health".
Renée said: "I think we can all relate to Bridget standing in a hallway wanting to...
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