Linda Robson has opened up about her unbreakable 57-year friendship with Pauline Quirke as her Birds Of A Feather co-star continues to live with dementia — a diagnosis that has forced Pauline to step away from the acting world she once dominated.
The pair first met at primary school at the age of ten, went on to build decades of success on stage and television, and remained inseparable long after the cameras stopped rolling. Now 64, Pauline retired from pantomime and TV work after her condition progressed in 2021, leaving Linda, 67, to take on roles alone for the first time.
Linda recently visited Pauline at her home, where her husband Steve and their children continue to care for her every day. She described how Pauline’s family welcomed her warmly before they all headed to a quiet local pub for lunch. “I love her so much,” Linda said as she reflected on the visit, adding that being reunited reminded her how strong their bond remains.
Despite her dementia, Pauline immediately recognised her oldest friend. Linda said the two even slipped back into their usual rhythm — sharing private jokes and reminiscing about their years filming Birds Of A Feather. “She was giggling and happy. She did recognise me, which I was really pleased with. She’s being so well looked after.”
Pauline’s son Charlie, who once starred alongside her in the ITV reboot as Tracey’s son Travis, has now become a central figure in her care. He is preparing for a gruelling five-day, 140km charity trek this month to raise funds for Alzheimer’s Research UK — and Linda hopes to join part of the walk if her schedule allows.
Earlier this week, Pauline’s family gave another heartbreaking update, revealing they still don’t know exactly what stage she is in. Her husband Steve explained how the first signs appeared in November 2020, when Pauline phoned him saying she was struggling to take in the words from a script. “The words are not going in,” she told him — the moment everything changed.
Steve remembered the shock when doctors confirmed the diagnosis. “We looked at each other and said, ‘Can’t be — it’s long Covid, it’s the flu’.” Charlie added that despite the uncertainty, one thing remains constant: “Every time she sees us, she smiles, laughs, says ‘I love you’.”
Steve said the family have learned to “take every day and try to take the best moment out of it,” admitting the condition has changed slowly but significantly over the past four years. “This is why awareness matters,” he stressed. “We didn’t know how long it lasts, how quick it gets worse. We’re forever learning.”
