Linda Robson has delivered an emotional and heartbreaking update about her closest friend and Birds of a Feather co-star Pauline Quirke, confirming that Pauline has been privately living with dementia for the past four years.
The pair first met when they were just ten years old, forging a bond that has lasted more than five decades. But Linda revealed on Loose Women that she began to worry in recent years when Pauline stopped returning her calls and seemed to be forgetting important details. “Something just wasn’t right,” Linda admitted, her voice shaking.
Pauline’s husband, Steve Sheen, has since confirmed that the actress was diagnosed in 2021 and will no longer take part in professional work. Linda, visibly tearful, recalled treasured memories of their youth and travels together, confessing that watching her best friend face this cruel illness has been “utterly heartbreaking.”
She explained that Pauline now sometimes struggles to recognise even her closest family members, including her children. Linda respected the family’s wish to keep the diagnosis private until they were ready, but she admitted it has weighed heavily on her heart for years.
Despite the pain, Linda vowed to stand by Pauline’s side. She said their friendship runs deeper than forgotten names and faces, and she continues to stay in close contact with Pauline and Steve through FaceTime. She also insisted she would never take part in another Birds of a Feather without Pauline, declaring: “It wouldn’t be the same without her.”
In her emotional appeal, Linda also called for greater awareness of dementia, noting that her own mother suffered from it. She reminded viewers that “one in two people will now be touched by this illness,” urging compassion and support for families living with its impact.
Pauline’s diagnosis has cast a shadow over an extraordinary career, but Linda’s tearful tribute proves that even as memories fade, true friendship remains unshakable.
