Brigitte Bardot reportedly struggled with motherhood and later spoke about the difficult relationship she had with her son.

Yet enormous fame also brought consequences that Bardot later described as deeply damaging. She spoke candidly about feeling overwhelmed by photographers, public attention and the constant pressure associated with celebrity. The image adored by audiences could become suffocating for the person expected to maintain it. Bardot experienced serious emotional difficulties during her career and survived suicide attempts, including one around the production of The Truth. In later interviews, she explained that celebrity initially seemed exciting but eventually felt destructive. This provides important context for understanding why someone who remained internationally famous would choose to leave the entertainment industry while still relatively young. Her retirement was not simply the fading away of a career; it was a deliberate departure from a life she no longer wanted.

In 1973, Bardot stopped acting at only 39 years old. She had already made dozens of films and could probably have continued appearing in major productions, but she chose another path. Years later, she said that leaving the world of constant images, glamour and public desire had effectively helped save her life. Instead of attempting to preserve her position as a movie star indefinitely, she increasingly withdrew from the entertainment industry. She settled into a quieter existence associated especially with Saint-Tropez and her famous property, La Madrague. The woman whose face had once appeared constantly in international magazines increasingly avoided the machinery of celebrity. Her attention gradually moved toward something she considered more important than continuing her film career: animals.