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Pauline Quirke’s Birds of a Feather colleague revealed the 65-year-old star struggles to identify her own relatives, just weeks after her dementia diagnosis was made public
Pauline Quirke’s dementia has advanced to the point where she no longer recognises her own family, a close friend has revealed.
The Birds of a Feather star was diagnosed with dementia in 2021 when she was just 61, but her diagnosis was only made public last month by her TV producer husband Steve Sheen.
Now 65, the actress – who has starred in Emmerdale, Broadchurch and The Sculptress – is struggling to remember her own relatives, as the cruel disease takes its toll.
Maurice Gran, who alongside Laurence Marks, wrote the award-winning sitcom Birds of a Feather, told the Mirror that Pauline’s co-star Lesley Joseph rang him shortly before Steve announced Pauline’s retirement from showbiz.
“Last month, Lesley phoned me to ask if Pauline’s husband, Steve Sheen, had been in touch,” he recalled. “I told her no. ‘Well,’ said Lesley, ‘he’s going to go public about Pauline to put a stop to all the speculation.’”
Rumours had been rife about a rift between Pauline – who played Sharon Theodopolopodous in the BBC comedy show – and her on-screen sister Linda Robson for years, with speculation only growing when Pauline refused to take part in any more episodes after the 2014-17 reboot.
“Since the diagnosis, her condition has gathered pace,” says Maurice. “She’s still only 65 so your heart goes out to her. Initially, she felt she was beginning to lose her grip. Now, we understand she struggles to identify members of her own family.”
The so-called feud, he says, was always overblown, as Linda and Pauline go back a long way – to primary school in north London. “They’re like sisters,” he went on. “But it’s nonsense. It’s no more than sibling rivalry, like in any family.”
By 2017, the rumour mill was gathering speed: one of them wasn’t talking to the other; Pauline was refusing to do any more episodes of Birds, and any trace of her character was stripped out of the 2020 Christmas special.
The truth was more deep-seated than the world knew. In 2021, Pauline was finally diagnosed with dementia, hence the slow withdrawal into her shell.
But in both Laurence and Maurice’s opinion, Pauline and Linda were born to play Sharon and Tracey. They were inspired to write the characters after spotting two over-dressed women – one in gold lame and the other in silver – who “looked like gangsters’ molls,” on a night out.
Says Maurice: “As soon as I told Laurence this story, he immediately said – ‘Linda and Pauline.’ We’d worked with them on Harvey Moon and had been looking for another vehicle for them.
“By page 8 of the first script, we couldn’t keep up with what they were saying. Then, as soon as Lesley Joseph made her entrance as Dorien Green, she just took over, a force of nature.”
Massively fond of the main female characters of the sitcom, for which he and Laurence wrote 102 episodes for the BBC and a further eight for ITV, it came as a complete body blow when they heard of Pauline’s diagnosis.
“I’ve always said that Pauline’s talent made our words sound better. It couldn’t be sadder,” added Maurice.
In January 2025, Pauline’s retirement was announced in a heartbreaking statement by her husband Steve, who said: “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.”
He paid tribute to his wife’s illustrious career, adding: “In drama, her BAFTA-nominated role in The Sculptress, was outstanding, as was her role as the mysterious Susan Wright in ITV’s Broadchurch. Demonstrating her acting versatility, she also starred or appeared in more than 60 TV and film productions, including Carrie’s War, North and South, Casualty, Cold Blood, Thieving Headmistress, My Family, You, Me and the Apocalypse, and of course Emmerdale.”
Adding that his wife now wants to spend time with her family, he concluded: “We kindly request privacy and understanding for Pauline and our family during this difficult period. For the time being we will not be engaging in interviews or making further statements, since Pauline just wants to spend time with her family, children and grandchildren. We are deeply grateful for the support from her peers, the public, and the dedicated staff and Principals at PQA (Pauline Quirke Academy).”