Marilyn Monroe and No. 5: Chanel releases lost audio footage of actress declaring her love for the perfume

In the 1950s the glamour of Chanel No. 5 was reignited by Marilyn Monroe whose unsolicited endorsement of the fragrance provided invaluable publicity.

“What do I wear in bed? Chanel No. 5!”

These are the words famously spoken by the Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe.

But many have never heard Marilyn Monroe utter the statement that forever fused the blonde and the fragrance house. Until now.

Chanel has released lost audio footage of an interview Marilyn Monroe gave in April 1960 complete with a tribute video to the star and her famous response.

The 2-minute video opens with a still image of the blonde beauty lying nude in bed as the question “What do you wear to bed?” flashes up on the screen.

The video then states: “We may never know when she said the phrase for the first time” as it goes on to unveil the lost footage in a tantalizing build-up chronicling the timeline of her famous phrase.

It explains that on April 7th 1952 a 26-year-old Marilyn was quoted in LIFE magazine referencing the famous Chanel No 5 perfume for the very first time and from that day one, the perfumery legend was born.

But it wasn’t until October 2012 that, for the first time, Chanel retrieved and unveiled a lost interview that Marilyn Monroe gave to Georges Belmont at French Marie Claire speaking about her love of the brand.

Her voice can be heard saying: “You know, they ask you questions…just an example: <<What do you wear to bed? A pajama top? The bottoms of the pajama? A nightgown?>> So I said <<Chanel No. 5!>> Because it’s the truth!”

Marilyn Monroe may have died almost 50 years ago, but her legacy continues to intrigue and delight fans old and new.

Closing on an image of Marilyn Monroe spraying a bottle of No 5 over her body, the tagline “Forever Marilyn and No 5” flashes across the screen as the video draws to a close.