HAPPY BIRTHDAY Bridget Jones!

From big knickers to finding true love, we celebrate the life of this fictional character 25 years on...

Originally published in 1996, Bridget Jones’s Diary was a multi-million-selling international phenomenon, becoming one of the books that defined the 20th century, and spawning three blockbuster movies. Bridget was 32, and wrote in her diary about her determination to stop smoking and drinking and lose weight. This iconic portrayal of a single woman navigating life through a haze of cigarette smoke and Chardonnay is as funny today as it was 25 years ago.

THE AUTHOR

Helen Fielding was born in Yorkshire and later worked in London as a journalist. She first brought Bridget to life in 1995 in her columns for The Independent, before turning them into a book. The mum of two, who also co-wrote the movies Bridget Jones’s Diary, Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason and Bridget Jones’s Baby, lives in London and Los Angeles.

THE MOVIE

American actress Renée Zellweger won over the critics with her portrayal of British Bridget in the 2001 film, alongside Hugh Grant as lothario Daniel Cleaver, and Colin Firth as Mark Darcy. The film was directed by Sharon Maguire, one of Fielding’s friends, and inspiration for the character of Shazza.

The first Bridget Jones story was based on the Jane Austen novel Pride And Prejudice.

FOLLOW-UP BOOKS

Bridget Jones: The Edge Of Reason (1999)

The sequel chronicles Bridget’s suspicions that her boyfriend, Mark Darcy, is falling for colleague Rebecca.

It also involves mishaps and misunderstandings, plus an adventure in Southeast Asia involving planted drugs and Madonna songs. A film adaptation was released in 2004.

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (2013)

Now 51, Bridget is a widow after Mark Darcy died five years earlier, leaving her with two children. She’s back dating, but having had kids late, and been bereaved, she’s once again out of step, just as she was with the ‘smug marrieds’ of her 30s. These days, as well as logging calories and alcohol units, she’s counting headlice on a comb, and the amount of grated cheese eaten while making the kids’ dinner.

GOING UNDERCOVER

In order to prepare for her brilliant on-screen portrayal, Renée Zellweger worked undercover at London publishing house Picador for three weeks. She used the name Bridget Cavendish, and staff were told she was doing work experience. The actress spent her time sending out books to reviewers, filing newspaper reviews, doing coffee rounds and answering the phone.

It’s also said she kept a photo of Jim Carrey, her boyfriend at the time, on her desk. Hugh Grant has said Renée stayed so in character while filming that he didn’t hear her speak in her natural American accent until the film’s wrap party.

DIET OBSESSIVE

In the books, Bridget monitors her daily food intake in an attempt to lose weight. For the movie, Renée gained 17lb in order to play the role. After consulting a dietician and endocrinologist, she ate three full meals a day, snacked on croissants and cheesecake, and did no exercise. The British weather helped: ‘When it’s rainy and cold, you feel like eating beans and toast.’ She said later, ‘Bridget is a perfectly normal weight and I’ve never understood why it matters so much.’

• Bridget Jones’s Diary (And Other Writing) (£14.99, Picador), a new edition of the bestselling novel featuring over 100 pages of new material from Helen Fielding, is out on 4 February

Kate Winslet, Helena Bonham Carter and Cate Blanchett were all in discussions about playing Bridget in the hit romcom.