The actress says freshly unveiled Bridget Jones statue is “sweet”, stating, “She’s sweeter than me.”

Renée Zellweger has called the freshly installed statue of Bridget Jones as “delightful”, adding, “Personally, she’s much cuter than me.”

Zellweger was commenting as the new statue commemorating the beloved figure she embodied for more than 20 years was unveiled in London’s Leicester Square on Monday.

Bridget Jones was first imagined in 1996 by author Helen Fielding, and initially brought for the cinema in 2001. The newest movie debuted this past February.

Commenting at the unveiling, Fielding left open writing more, saying you should “always keep options open.”

Zellweger explained that audiences can connect with Bridget, which highlights her massive popularity.

“It’s her sensitivity, her authenticity,” she said. “We identify in her, we recognise ourselves in her struggles.

“It reassures us for the rest of us to be truly who we are. Real.”

The figure of Bridget Jones touched many women’s hearts, who found solace in her personal journey.

From her embarrassing work mishaps, to her notorious granny pants, Bridget resonated with a age group who identified in her—and has gained a new generation of Gen Z followers too.

The new installment in the saga, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, was released in early this year, and sees Bridget living as a single mother and tackling modern dating.

It garnered divided opinions, but secured the strongest box office opening ever for a love story in the UK and Ireland, according to reports.

The film was billed as the last installment in the franchise—but reflecting at the statue unveiling, two superfans, Faye and Wayne, said they were convinced there would be a next chapter.

“There are so many things that were open-ended at the finale of the recent movie,” said Faye.

“Bridget keeps evolving. I want to be with Bridget Jones all the way to the later years,” remarked Wayne.

When questioned about the possibility of a new chapter in Bridget Jones’ journey, Fielding said: “Anything is possible. Ideas come to you as a author. So if a narrative was inspired that I thought was true and compelling and fresh then I would develop it.”

Some think the floundering and flawed protagonist, who’s fixated with her weight and romantic situation, is not the ideal role model.

And Fielding personally has noted earlier that certain aspects of the story have not aged well.

“Bridget Jones’s Diary would be impossible to produce in the present day, placed in modern times, because all those workplace characters would be dismissed,” she said in the past. “It was a really different time.”

But reflecting on the unveiling day, she said she hoped the wider message of the story would continue to chime for fans.

“Personally, to have the reassurance of observing a character that you can connect with, because they are genuine and imperfect and emotionally honest, it’s like having the confidante you can be honest with,” she said.

The monument is the inaugural to celebrate a love story on the landmark’s Scenes in the Square trail.

The Scenes in the Square display originally launched in 2020 with the introduction of multiple figures including comedy legends, Mary Poppins, Batman, Bugs Bunny, Don Lockwood, Paddington Bear, Mr Bean and Wonder Woman.

In the time since, figures of the wizard hero, the iconic seat from Game of Thrones, the giant canine and Indiana Jones have been included.