Lesley Joseph has shared a poignant update on her longtime friend and Birds of a Feather co-star Pauline Quirke, revealing that Pauline is “not okay now” as she battles dementia. The two actresses, alongside Linda Robson, starred together in the beloved comedy series Birds of a Feather.
Pauline, 66, was diagnosed with dementia earlier this year, and her family has been prioritizing her care ever since. In a recent interview with Bella Magazine, Lesley, 80, opened up about her friend’s condition, saying: “Pauline is not too well after being diagnosed with dementia a while ago. She’s not okay now. I haven’t had time, but I’m going to go up and see her next week.”
Lesley had previously been hesitant to discuss Pauline’s health publicly, emphasizing her friend’s privacy. Earlier this year on Good Morning Britain, she praised Pauline’s incredible talent, saying: “What a wonderful actress she is and what joy she has given. Not just in Birds of a Feather but in The Sculptress where she was really scary, and in Broadchurch and Emmerdale. I take my hat off to Pauline. She’s amazing. I won’t talk about her at the moment with her illness because that’s private.”
Drawing from her own experience, Lesley reflected on caring for her mother, who lived to nearly 104 despite dementia. “In her nineties she was still playing tennis and she was so full of life as she got older,” Lesley recalled. “She was an amazing character.”
Pauline became a household name playing Sharon Theodopolopodous in Birds of a Feather. Though she stepped away from acting in recent years, her contribution to British TV remains unforgettable.
Pauline’s husband, Steve Sheen, confirmed in January that she would be retiring from her 50-year career due to the illness. Linda Robson, another close friend since childhood, has also spoken emotionally about the situation, telling The Sun: “It’s very sad.
We’ve been best friends since we were ten. I’ve known [about the diagnosis] for three years and we’ve managed to keep it quiet. She doesn’t know who anybody is. She doesn’t know who I am or who her kids are. Dementia is terrible.”