Pauline Quirke no longer recognises family after going public with dementia
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
Exclusive:
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 publicPauline Quirke, who starred as Sharon Theodopolopodous in Birds of a Feather, has been living with dementia for the last four years (Image: Ian Gavan/Getty Images)
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.
Pauline Quirke with her husband Steve, who announced in January 2025 that she has dementia (Image:
PA)âLast month, Lesley phoned me to ask if Paulineâs husband, Steve Sheen, had been in touch," he recalled. "I told her no. âWell,â said Lesley, âheâs going to go public about Pauline to put a stop to all the speculation.â"
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.
âSince the diagnosis, her condition has gathered pace," says Maurice. "Sheâs 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."
Fans presumed Linda Robson and Pauline had fallen out after Pauline failed to appear in the 2020 Christmas special of Bird of a Feather (Image:
PA)The so-called feud, he says, was always overblown, as Linda and Pauline go back a long way â to primary school in north London. âTheyâre like sisters,â he went on. âBut itâs nonsense. Itâs no more than sibling rivalry, like in any family.â
By 2017, the rumour mill was gathering speed: one of them wasnât 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 âlooked like gangstersâ molls,â on a night out.
Linda and Pauline played on-screen sisters in the hugely successful BBC sitcom, which then moved over to ITV for a reboot (Image:
BBC)Says Maurice: âAs soon as I told Laurence this story, he immediately said - âLinda and Pauline.â Weâd worked with them on Harvey Moon and had been looking for another vehicle for them.
âBy page 8 of the first script, we couldnât 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.â
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.
âIâve always said that Paulineâs talent made our words sound better. It couldnât be sadder," added Maurice.
Pauline with her husband Steve Sheen (Image:
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)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)."
MAFS' Michelle & David are a good match.
Read more >> : Cick here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The fear of President Donald Trumpâ??s unchecked executive powers over the next four years drove a Michigan lawmaker to take matters into her own hands and undergo a surgical procedure to become voluntarily sterile, according to media reports.Michigan Democratic State Rep. Laurie Pohutsky revealed her...
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Country music superstar praises Queen Bey, recalls dancing to "Thriller" during podcast interview with Bill Maher
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Actor and musician Requinn Nicollette was left debilitated after losing her sight from ocular shingles, which she believes was triggered by stress from the impending TikTok ban
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
From Martha Stewart to Post Malone, ET breaks down the biggest Super Bowl commercial celebrity cameos and appearances.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Death In Paradise viewers were left devastated when police officer Benjamin Brice was killed off in the opening moments of the new series - and his replacement has now been revealed
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Swifties are turning against Travis Kelce ahead of the Super Bowl. Here's what he said to anger Taylor Swift's fans.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Angelina Jolie made a rare comment about the 'wonderful' relationship she shares with ex-husband Jonny Lee Miller more than 25 years after their split
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The hip-hop star and fashion mogul is charged with firing a gun at a former friend on a Hollywood street in 2021.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Twitter (X), Inc. was an American social media company based in San Francisco, California, which operated and was named for its flagship social media network prior to its rebrand as X. In addition to Twitter, the company previously operated the Vine short video app and Periscope livestreaming service
Twitter (X) is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 619 million monthly active users worldwide. One of the most exciting features of Twitter (X) is the ability to see what topics are trending in real-time. Twitter trends are a fascinating way to stay up to date on what people are talking about on the platform, and they can also be a valuable tool for businesses and individuals to stay relevant and informed. In this article, we will discuss Twitter (X) trends, how they work, and how you can use them to your advantage.
What are Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are a list of topics that are currently being talked about on the platform and also world. The topics on this list change in real-time and are based on the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be localized to a Worldwide country or region or can be global, depending on the topic's popularity.
How Do Twitter (X) Worldwide Trends Work?
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends are generated by an algorithm that analyzes the volume of tweets using a particular hashtag or keyword. When the algorithm detects a sudden increase in tweets using a specific hashtag or keyword, it considers that topic to be trending.
Once a topic is identified as trending, it is added to the list of Twitter (X) Worldwide trends. The topics on this list are ranked based on their popularity, with the most popular topics appearing at the top of the list.
Twitter (X) Worldwide trends can be filtered by location or category, allowing users to see what topics are trending in their area or in a particular industry. Additionally, users can click on a trending topic to see all of the tweets using that hashtag or keyword.