New statue of Bridget Jones joins other film icons in London's Leicester Square

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LONDON (AP) — Bridget Jones has joined Harry Potter, Mary Poppins and Paddington as permanent residents of London's famed Leicester Square.

A new bronze statue of the romantic comedy heroine was unveiled Monday to mark 25 years since the release of the first “Bridget Jones” film.

Actor Renée Zellweger, who has played the titular character four times since the first “Bridget Jones' Diary” was released on big screens in 2001, attended the unveiling along with author Helen Fielding, whose books inspired the films.

The statue, which depicts Zellweger dressed in a mini skirt and clutching a diary and a pen, is the newest addition to the “Scenes in the Square” trail in Leicester Square, the home of numerous international film premieres.

The attraction, launched in 2020 to celebrate a century of cinema, also features statues of Mr. Bean, Bugs Bunny, Laurel and Hardy, Batman and Wonder Woman.

“Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy," the fourth film in the franchise, was released earlier this year.