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Renée Zellweger has called the freshly installed statue of Bridget Jones as “adorable”, explaining, “In my opinion, she’s much cuter than me.”

The actress was talking as the new statue celebrating the beloved figure she embodied for many years was unveiled in London’s Leicester Square on Monday.

Bridget Jones was first imagined in 1996 by author Helen Fielding, and initially brought for the cinema in 2001. The latest installment debuted this past February.

Commenting at the unveiling, Fielding left open continuing the series, saying you should “avoid closing doors.”

Zellweger added that audiences can relate to Bridget, which accounts for her huge appeal.

“It’s her openness, her authenticity,” she said. “We identify in her, we relate in her challenges.

“It makes it OK for the rest of us to be genuinely who we are. Flawed.”

The persona of Bridget Jones touched many female hearts, who took comfort in her personal journey.

From her humorous work blunders, to her iconic granny pants, Bridget resonated with a demographic who saw themselves in her—and has attracted a new generation of younger fans too.

The latest movie in the saga, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, was launched in early this year, and depicts Bridget living as a solo parent and facing contemporary romance.

It garnered mixed reviews, but achieved the strongest theatrical launch ever for a love story in the UK and Ireland, according to data.

The film was billed as the conclusion in the series—but commenting at the ceremony, two dedicated followers, Faye and Wayne, said they were sure there would be a follow-up.

“There are so many things that were open-ended at the finale of the recent movie,” said Faye.

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

When prompted about the prospect of a future story in Bridget Jones’ saga, Fielding said: “Anything is possible. Inspiration arrive as a writer. So if a story came to me that I thought was real and compelling and new then I would develop it.”

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

And Fielding herself has acknowledged in the past that some parts of the narrative feel dated.

“Bridget Jones’s Diary would be impossible to produce in the present day, written in this era, because all those workplace characters would be fired,” she said previously. “It was a really different time.”

But speaking on Monday, she said she hoped the overarching idea of the story would continue to chime for fans.

“I think, to have the solace of observing a figure that you can connect with, because they are genuine and imperfect and vulnerable, it’s like having the companion you can be honest with,” she said.

The sculpture is the first to celebrate a romantic comedy on the landmark’s Scenes in the Square exhibit.

The cinema sculpture display originally launched in recently with the installation of several statues showcasing Laurel and Hardy, Mary Poppins, Batman, Bugs Bunny, Don Lockwood, Paddington Bear, Mr Bean and Wonder Woman.

In the time since, sculptures of the boy wizard, the Iron Throne from Game of Thrones, Clifford the Big Red Dog and Indiana Jones have been added.