Pauline Quirke smiles in last public sighting - 2 years after dementia diagnosis
Pauline Quirke's husband has sadly announced that the Birds of a Feather actress has sadly been diagnosed with dementia and she would be stepping back from all work
Pauline Quirke made a public appearance – despite battling dementia.
Steve Sheen, the actresses husband announced on Tuesday that the actress, 65, had been diagnosed with the condition in 2021 and has made the decision to step back from all work. Although she's appeared in the likes of Emmerdale, Broadchurch and The Sculptress, she's best known for playing Sharon Theodopolopodous in the ITV sitcom, Birds of a Feather.
The programme ran between October 1989 until December 1998. It was later decommissioned by ITV bosses, airing from January 2 2014, to December 24, 2020. Despite her battle with the cruel condition, Pauline made a rare appearance in 2023 as she attended a special ceremony at Windsor Castle on February 1.
Hackney-born Pauline was awarded an MBE in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to young people, the entertainment industry and charity. Away from her career on stage, in 2017, she launched The Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts across the country, setting up the extracurricular centre for young people who want to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.
Pauline Quirke happily smiled as she received her MBE The actress was presented with the honour by The Prince of Wales (Image:
PA)Since its launched, Pauline has opened over 200 branches across the UK. The actress was awarded the special honour by Prince William at the ceremony as she beamed at the heir to the throne when he placed the medal on her chest. Despite her inner turmoil, Pauline was all smiles for the occasion as she posed for a snap inside the quadrangle of the Castle, while holding her honour.
On January 21, 2025, her husband announced that the actress would be stepping down from all public roles due to her condition. In a moving statement, Steve, who also worked on Birds of a Feather 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.
"Pauline has been an inspiration through her work in the film and TV industry, her charity endeavours and as the founder of the very successful Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts (PQA). Her talent, dedication, and vision have touched countless lives and will continue to do so through the legacy of her work and through PQA where her vision and guidance has facilitated many young peoples' progression and interest in the Arts and enhanced their self-confidence. Pauline is perhaps best known as Sharon Theodopolopodous from Birds of a Feather, the hilarious sitcom that ran for nearly 30 years.
The actress is now stepping back from all public and commercial work (Image:
Getty Images)"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."
He went on to add: "During her epic 50 year career, Pauline has been nominated for many awards, including Best TV Comedy Actress in the British Comedy Awards, Best Newcomer in the British Soap Awards and has received multiple nominations for Most Popular Actress and Most Popular Comedy Performer in the National Television Awards.
"In 2022, Pauline was awarded an MBE in the late Queen's final Birthday Honours. It was a heartfelt recognition of her incredible work with young people, her contributions to entertainment, and her dedication to charitable causes.
"Her acting career has now come to a close, but Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts (PQA), with its network of approximately 250 academies and over 15,000 students across the UK, remains robust and will continue to operate as normal in accordance with Pauline's ideology. Our experienced senior leadership team will maintain the Academies' success and growth, building on the foundations, ethos and philosophy that Pauline has inspired from the beginning in 2007.
"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."
Hilary Evans-Newton, Chief Executive of Alzheimer's Research UK, said in a statement on Tuesday: "We are saddened to hear of Pauline's diagnosis and send our best wishes to her, Steve and the wider family. The family should be praised for making the brave decision to make her diagnosis public, which will not only provide more freedom for them, but also raise such vital awareness of the condition.
"We're so grateful that Pauline and Steve have pledged to support our work when the time is right. We look forward to working with them to raise further awareness of dementia and funds for research."
If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Dementia UK.
Follow Mirror Celebs onTikTok,Snapchat,Instagram,Twitter,Facebook,YouTubeandThreads.
Stuart Little alum Jonathan Lipnicki exclusively told E! News that his late 2000s hiatus from Hollywood was partially due to a shift in focus toward school, but also because he wasn’t booking work.
Read more >> : Cick here
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
A former girl group member appeared on a survival show, revealing she had earned no income after debuting twice and was working part-time jobs.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Lauren Sanchez was the 'most ignored person at the 'techie' tycoon group during Trump's inauguration yesterday in Washington DC yesterday, a body language expert has revealed.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Fans have paid tribute to actor Francisco San Martin after death at LA home
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Paul Danan's funeral is expected to take place today, a week after the Hollyoaks actor was found dead, with his family and friends set to attend.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Ceremony reveals where power truly lies. In the Capitol Rotunda in Washington D.C. yesterday, as Donald Trump was sworn back into office, the pecking order of the new regime was very clear indeed.
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The duke is expected to give evidence in the trial against the Sun’s owner over allegations of gathering unlawful information, alongside ex-MP Lord Watson
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Brady Corbet says stars’ performances ‘completely their own’ after it emerges AI technology was used to edit their scenes spoken in Hungarian
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Prince William's wife moved out of her family home during her recovery period
Read more >> : Cick here
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
The actor appeared on Good Morning Britain today and was quizzed on theories he could be behind the Bear mask on the ITV show.
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.