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Renée Zellweger has praised the freshly installed statue of Bridget Jones as “adorable”, explaining, “Personally, she’s a lot sweeter than me.”

Zellweger was talking as the new statue commemorating the beloved figure she embodied for over two decades was presented in the heart of the city on the start of the week.

Bridget Jones was created in the mid-1990s by author Helen Fielding, and initially brought for the cinema in the early 2000s. The latest installment came out in recent months.

Speaking at the reveal, Fielding did not dismiss writing more, saying you should “always keep options open.”

The star noted that people everywhere can see themselves in Bridget, which explains her enduring charm.

“Her vulnerability, her humanness,” she said. “We see our own reflections in her, we connect in her struggles.

“It gives permission for the everyone else to be genuinely who we are. Real.”

The persona of Bridget Jones went straight to many women’s hearts, who felt understood in her trials and tribulations.

From her embarrassing work blunders, to her notorious granny pants, Bridget connected with a age group who identified in her—and has attracted a fresh wave of new admirers too.

The new installment in the franchise, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, was launched in February, and depicts Bridget living as a widowed mom and exploring today’s relationships.

It received divided opinions, but recorded the strongest cinema debut ever for a love story in the UK and Ireland, according to industry sources.

The film was billed as the conclusion in the series—but commenting at the statue unveiling, two dedicated followers, Faye and Wayne, said they were certain there would be a sequel.

“There were so many things that were open-ended at the finale of the last film,” said Faye.

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

When questioned about the possibility of a next installment in Bridget Jones’ journey, Fielding said: “Anything is possible. Inspiration come to you as a author. So if a story came to me that I thought was authentic and engaging and fresh then I would write it.”

Certain critics think the floundering and flawed heroine, who’s obsessed over her body image and romantic situation, is not the strongest role model.

And Fielding herself has previously admitted that some parts of the narrative seem less relevant today.

“Bridget Jones’s Diary couldn’t be written in the present day, written in this era, because all those workplace characters would be fired,” she said last year. “That was a distinct period.”

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

“In my view, to have the reassurance of watching a persona that you can connect with, because they are genuine and human and emotionally honest, it’s like having the friend you can be real with,” she said.

The statue is the inaugural to honor a love story on Leicester Square’s Scenes in the Square exhibit.

The public art trail was introduced in the year 2020 with the addition of multiple figures featuring Laurel and Hardy, Mary Poppins, Batman, Bugs Bunny, Don Lockwood, Paddington Bear, Mr Bean and Wonder Woman.

Since then, sculptures of Harry Potter, the royal chair from Game of Thrones, the giant canine and the explorer have been added.