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The Oscar-winning actress has praised the freshly installed statue of Bridget Jones as “adorable”, remarking, “I think, it’s far more charming than me.”

Zellweger was talking as the new statue honoring the beloved figure she portrayed for more than 20 years was uncovered in the heart of the city on the start of the week.

Bridget Jones was first imagined in the mid-1990s by author Helen Fielding, and initially brought for the movies in 2001. The fourth film was released in recent months.

Speaking at the unveiling, Fielding refused to rule out continuing the series, remarking you should “always keep options open.”

Zellweger added that audiences can see themselves in Bridget, which highlights her massive popularity.

“It’s her sensitivity, her humanness,” she said. “We recognise ourselves in her, we connect in her challenges.

“It makes it OK for the others to be truly who we are. Flawed.”

The character of Bridget Jones went straight to many female hearts, who found solace in her trials and tribulations.

From her awkward work incidents, to her infamous granny pants, Bridget spoke to a generation who saw themselves in her—and has recently won over a new generation of new admirers too.

The latest movie in the franchise, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, was debuted in February, and shows Bridget living as a widowed mom and facing today’s relationships.

It garnered divided opinions, but achieved the best cinema debut ever for a rom-com in the region, according to reports.

The film was billed as the final one in the franchise—but speaking at the ceremony, two longtime enthusiasts, Faye and Wayne, said they were sure there would be a sequel.

“There are so many things that were not wrapped up at the finale of the last film,” said Faye.

“Bridget keeps changing. I hope to be with Bridget Jones all the way to the nursing home,” remarked Wayne.

When asked about the chance of a next installment in Bridget Jones’ story, Fielding said: “Never say never. Ideas emerge as a author. So if a narrative was inspired that I thought was true and engaging and new then I would pursue it.”

Certain critics think the imperfect and flawed protagonist, who’s fixated with her body image and love life, is not the best role model.

And Fielding personally has noted earlier that elements of the series seem less relevant today.

“Bridget Jones’s Diary would be impossible to produce in the present day, written in this era, because all those men in the office would be dismissed,” she said previously. “It was a completely other era.”

But speaking on Monday, she said she wished the overarching idea of the novel would continue to chime for readers.

“In my view, to have the solace of watching a persona that you can identify with, because they are genuine and imperfect and vulnerable, it’s like having the companion you can be real with,” she said.

The monument is the inaugural to commemorate a romantic comedy on the square’s Scenes in the Square walk.

The Scenes in the Square display originally launched in 2020 with the introduction of several statues showcasing comedy legends, Mary Poppins, Batman, Bugs Bunny, Don Lockwood, Paddington Bear, Mr Bean and Wonder Woman.

In the time since, figures of the boy wizard, the royal chair from Game of Thrones, the giant canine and the explorer have been installed.