Colin Firth has spoken out after his character not appearing in the new Bridget Jones movie after being ‘killed off’ off screen.

Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy is finally out in cinemas, but unfortunately without the appearance of Colin Firth as Mark Darcy. The sequel sees Renee Zellweger reprise her role as Bridget Jones, who is now a widow after the shock death of Mark.

It’s revealed that Mark, a human rights lawyer, was killed Colin Firth’s response to Bridget Jones character’s fate in new sequel. The pair tied the knot during 2016’s Bridget Jones’ baby, and fans finally thought the character got the happy ending she deserved. Until now.

Ahead of the release of the film, author Helen Fielding recalled telling Colin the sad news. However, she never actually intended to kill him, she told Variety.

“Well the truth is, I didn’t ever intend to actually kill Colin,” she said “When the book came out, it was the second lead after Syria on BBC News: ‘Mark Darcy is dead!’”

“I’d had to previously call Colin up and ask if he had someone with him and if he was sitting down, and I told him that I’d killed him,” she said. Recalling his ‘savage’ response, Helen remembers Colin telling her: ‘You’ve killed the wrong one.’”

After Mark’s tragic death, single mum Bridget is back on the dating scene and is on a quest to find love once more. Of course, it’s never easy for Bridget as she’s presented with two potential love interests, Roxster (Leo Woodall) and one of her children’s teachers Mr. Wallaker (Chiwetel Ejiofor).

28-year-old Leo Woodall, known for his roles in White Lotus and Netflix’s One Day, previously spoke out to defend the age-gap romance in the film between his character and 55-year-old Renee’s.

Speaking on the ‘controversial’ topic, in an interview with Stellar Magazine, Leo questioned: “When two people find the connection, why shouldn’t they see where it goes without judgment? Both dynamics should be equally normalised. It’s a good thing that we’re getting the reverse.”

Leo then went on to state that age gap relationships were “not uncommon” in real life – but aren’t portrayed much in movies.

Eager fans who have already seen the film have taken to X, formerly known as Twitter to express their opinions – and their sadness at Mark being killed off. “rewatching the bridget jones movies in preparation for the new one and i still can’t believe they dared to kill off mr darcy just like that he was a #real man oh i’m so upset…” wrote one, while another said: “Bridget Jones Mad About The Boy is the film of the year..”

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs onTikTok,Snapchat,Instagram,Twitter,Facebook,YouTubeandThreads.

Get the biggest TV headlines, recaps and insider knowledge straight to your inbox