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Linda Robson shares heartbreaking Pauline Quirke update and reveals TV tribute plans after star’s dementia diagnosis
Linda insisted she'll never film another episode of Birds of Feather due to Pauline's diagnosis
LINDA Robson has shared a heartbreaking update on close friend Pauline Quirke after it was revealed she has been living with dementia for three years.
Last month actress 's husband Steve Sheen revealed she would be stepping back from her 50-year career due to the syndrome.
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Now Linda, 66, has revealed the sad reality of the struggles Pauline’s loved ones are facing.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun at the TV Choice Awards, the Loose Women panellist said: “It’s very sad. We’ve been best friends since we were ten. I’ve known [about the diagnosis] for three years.
“She doesn’t know who anybody is.
“She doesn’t know who I am or who her kids are. Dementia is terrible - I’d rather get cancer, because at least then you’ve got a chance.”
More on Pauline Quirke
And Linda insisted that she’ll never do another episode of Birds of a Feather as it wouldn’t be the same without Pauline.
They starred together in Birds of a Feather as Sharon Theodopolopodous and Tracey Stubbs.
The sitcom ran on the BBC and then ITV across nearly 30 years.
But Linda revealed she would like to do a TV tribute to her friend. She said: “I wouldn’t do it without Pauline.
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“It wouldn’t be the same without her. I would be up for some kind of tribute to celebrate her.”
Linda also teased she's working on something with Lesley Joseph - who also starred in Birds of a Feather as Dorien Green.
Watch emotional moment Pauline Quirke sobs as she surprises best friend Linda Robson before dementia diagnosis
Refusing to give away too much, she simply said: "There's something in the pipeline."
After the news of Pauline's diagnosis was revealed last month, Linda took to Instagram to share her heartbreak.
She wrote: "For the past three years, I’ve been in close contact with her husband, Steve, and have spent time with Pauline.
";It breaks my heart to see her endure such a terrible illness."
Is it ageing or dementia?
Dementia - the most common form of which is Alzheimer's - comes on slowly over time.
As the disease progresses, symptoms can become more severe.
But at the beginning, the symptoms can be subtle or mistaken for normal memory issues related to ageing.
The gives some examples of what is considered normal forgetfulness in old age, and dementia disease.
You can refer to these above.
For example, it is normal for an ageing person to forget which word to use from time-to-time, but difficulting having conversation would be more indicative of dementia.
Katie Puckering, Head of Alzheimer’s Research UK’s Information Services team, previously told The Sun: “We quite commonly as humans put our car keys somewhere out of the ordinary and it takes longer for us to find them.
“As you get older, it takes longer for you to recall, or you really have to think; What was I doing? Where was I? What distracted me? Was it that I had to let the dog out? And then you find the keys by the back door.
“That process of retrieving the information is just a bit slower in people as they age.
“In dementia, someone may not be able to recall that information and what they did when they came into the house.
“What may also happen is they might put it somewhere it really doesn't belong. For example, rather than putting the milk back in the fridge, they put the kettle in the fridge.”
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