Linda Robson was reportedly in the dark about the public disclosure of Pauline Quirke’s dementia diagnosis.
Pauline’s husband, Steve Sheen, has made the sad announcement that the actress will be “stepping away from all commercial and professional duties” to focus on family time.
Best known for her portrayal of Sharon Theodopolopodous in Birds of a Feather and its revival from 2014 to 2017 alongside Linda, Pauline’s step back comes after her 2021 dementia diagnosis reports the Mirror.
Steve stated: “‘It is with a heavy heart that I announce my wife Pauline‘s decision to step back from all professional and commercial duties due to her diagnosis of Dementia in 2021.”
It emerged on Loose Women that Linda had been aware of Pauline’s condition for “some time”. Amidst this news, Linda was cruising in the Caribbean near Grenada, oblivious to the impending statement, as reported by the Daily Mail.
On Monday, Linda posted a cheerful photo captioned: “Having the time of our lives! ” Her absence was noted on Tuesday’s Loose Women show, where Ruth Langsford mentioned Linda’s close friendship with Pauline and her prior knowledge of the illness.
She said: “Linda Robson, obviously great friends with Pauline, is actually away at the moment, otherwise she would have joined us today to talk about her friend. And obviously she has known for some time.”
Linda and Pauline have been lifelong friends since childhood, but have faced numerous rumors of a feud over the years. Pauline’s absence from the 2020 Birds of a Feather special led fans to believe that their fifty-year friendship had come to an end.
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Her parts in the theme song were removed, as were images of their characters, Tracey and Sharon, together. There were claims that Linda and Pauline had become estranged, but in 2022, Linda addressed the rumours, telling The Mirror: “People say Pauline and I have fallen out. Obviously I couldn’t see her during lockdown but I’ve seen her since. She just doesn’t want to act anymore. She’s had enough – it’s long hours. She’s concentrating on her drama academies. She’s very hands on, going to classes and all that.”
Linda also mentioned that she regularly sees Lesley Joseph, with whom she won Celebrity Coach Trip, and that both Pauline and Lesley were supportive during her illness, regularly checking in on her.
In 2023, Linda revealed on Loose Women that she had previously felt envious of Pauline’s success in securing more serious acting roles, stating: “So I’ve never really been jealous of Pauline Quirke but I used to be envious of all the roles she got like dramas and everything.”
She added: “I used to think, ‘Lovely, I’m really pleased for you but I would love to do some drama role as well’. But now I am doing drama roles, so I don’t have to be envious anymore do I! But no jealousy can be a terrible thing really. I was delighted she was so successful but I just wanted a little bit of it as well and I wished I had got that.”
The trio aimed to put the speculation of a rift to rest by getting together for lunch in 2022.
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