Yahoo News Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding reveals Mark Darcy is not based on Keir Starmer
Bridget Jones author Helen Fielding has been suggested that the character Mark Darcy is not based on Sir Keir Starmer.
Rumours that the Labour leader inspired the character played by Colin Firth in the Bridget Jones film franchise have been circulating for some time now.
However, speaking on Desert Island Discs, Fielding appeared to deny the claims
“It’s amazing the number of people that lay claim to be Daniel [Hugh Grant’s character] or Mark, including Keir Starmer,” she told host Lauren Laverne.
“I had several different boyfriends, all very gorgeous.”
Fielding attended the same university as the former Director of Public Prosecutions, who found success as a high-profile barrister at the same time Fielding became a reporter for newspapers, including The Independent.
She published Bridget Jones’s Diary in 1996, and a film adaptation starring Renée Zellweger followed in 2001. In both the book and the film, Darcy is a human rights lawyer.
Starmer himself addressed the rumours in January, telling ITV: “It’s a rumour that’s been doing the rounds for years, but I honestly don’t know the answer.”
He said he “would be flattered” if Fielding revealed him to be the inspiration.
On the BBC Radio 4 show, Fielding said that, despite constantly “denying” that the character of Bridget Jones was inspired by her own life, “she was very close to me in some ways”.
“I would go and see my parents and somebody would say, ‘How’s your love life? When are we going to get you married off?’ Fielding said.
“I was a single girl in London and having lots of fun.”
Desert Island Discs is available to stream on BBC iPlayer and BBC Sounds.
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