Brigitte Bardot calls Marine Le Pen 'modern Joan of Arc'

Brigitte Bardot, the 1960s icon of liberated, bikini-clad French womanhood, has described the far-right leader Marine Le Pen as "the Joan of Arc of the 21st century" in an interview with Paris-Match. The magazine published a topless photo of the former actress, taken in 1967 when she was 33, on its cover this week as she prepares to celebrate her 80th birthday in September. "I am a native Frenchwoman and proud of it," Bardot said. "I mourn the fact that my beautiful country has deteriorated in every way. It's criminal to submit to these depths." Now an animal rights activist, she is an outspoken supporter of Ms Le Pen's anti-immigration Front National party, which topped the vote in European elections earlier this year amid widespread discontent with the Socialist government over record unemployment and the stagnant economy. "I hope she [Ms Le Pen] saves France. She is the Joan of Arc of the 21st century," Bardot said.