Born in Bretagne, France, on 2 June 1898 to an unknown father and an unmarried mother, she became the oldest living person in both Europe and France on 1 January 2012, an event that followed the death of Algeria-born Marcelle Narbonne at the age of 113 years and 282 days. Her death leaves 69 living supercentenarians validated by the Gerontology Research Group, consisting of 64 women and 5 men.
Bardet was the last living French person born in the 1800s, having outlived every known and validated French supercentenarian born in 1899. She was also Europe's last living person born in 1898. Her death leaves Paule Bronzini of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region as France's oldest living resident. Bronzini, aged 111 years 337 days at the time of Bardet's death, is the youngest person to become France's oldest resident since Anne Primout, who took the same title more than 10 years prior at the age of 111 years, 195 days on 18 April 2002.
Her death also passes the title of Europe's oldest living resident to Italian Maria Redaelli-Granoli, born on 3 April 1899. The world's oldest living European-born, however, is 115-year-old Dina Guerri-Manfredini, a native of Italy who is currently residing in Johnston, Iowa, United States. Manfredini, born on 4 April 1897, is also the second-oldest European emigrant ever, behind Denmark-born Christian Mortensen, who died in California, USA, in 1998 at the age of 115 years, 252 days.