Pauline Quirke beams in last public appearance two years after dementia diagnosis

Pauline Quirke's hubby has sadly announced that the Birds of a Feather histrion has sadly been diagnosed with dementia and she would beryllium stepping backmost from each work

Pauline Quirke made a nationalist quality – contempt battling dementia.

Steve Sheen, the actresses hubby announced connected Tuesday that the actress, 65, had been diagnosed with the information successful 2021 and has made the determination to measurement backmost from each work. Although she's appeared successful the likes of Emmerdale, Broadchurch and The Sculptress, she's champion known for playing Sharon Theodopolopodous successful the ITV sitcom, Birds of a Feather.

The programme ran betwixt October 1989 until December 1998. It was aboriginal decommissioned by ITV bosses, airing from January 2 2014, to December 24, 2020. Despite her conflict with the cruel condition, Pauline made a uncommon quality successful 2023 arsenic she attended a peculiar ceremonial astatine Windsor Castle connected February 1.

Hackney-born Pauline was awarded an MBE successful the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to young people, the amusement manufacture and charity. Away from her vocation connected stage, successful 2017, she launched The Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts crossed the country, mounting up the extracurricular centre for young radical who privation to prosecute a vocation successful the amusement industry.

Since its launched, Pauline has opened implicit 200 branches crossed the UK. The histrion was awarded the peculiar honour by Prince William astatine the ceremonial arsenic she beamed astatine the heir to the throne erstwhile helium placed the medal connected her chest. Despite her interior turmoil, Pauline was each smiles for the juncture arsenic she posed for a drawback wrong the quadrangle of the Castle, portion holding her honour.

On January 21, 2025, her hubby announced that the histrion would beryllium stepping down from each nationalist roles owed to her condition. In a moving statement, Steve, who besides worked connected Birds of a Feather said: "It is with a dense bosom that I denote my woman Pauline's determination to measurement backmost from each nonrecreational and commercialized duties owed to her diagnosis of Dementia successful 2021.

"Pauline has been an inspiration done her enactment successful the movie and TV industry, her foundation endeavours and arsenic the laminitis of the precise palmy Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts (PQA). Her talent, dedication, and imaginativeness person touched countless lives and volition proceed to bash truthful done the bequest of her enactment and done PQA wherever her imaginativeness and guidance has facilitated galore young peoples' progression and involvement successful the Arts and enhanced their self-confidence. Pauline is possibly champion known arsenic Sharon Theodopolopodous from Birds of a Feather, the hilarious sitcom that ran for astir 30 years.

"In drama, her BAFTA-nominated relation successful The Sculptress, was outstanding, arsenic was her relation arsenic the mysterious Susan Wright successful ITV's Broadchurch. Demonstrating her acting versatility, she besides starred oregon appeared successful much than 60 TV and movie productions, including Carrie's War, North and South, Casualty, Cold Blood, Thieving Headmistress, My Family, You, Me and the Apocalypse, and of people Emmerdale."

He went connected to add: "During her epic 50 twelvemonth career, Pauline has been nominated for galore awards, including Best TV Comedy Actress successful the British Comedy Awards, Best Newcomer successful the British Soap Awards and has received aggregate nominations for Most Popular Actress and Most Popular Comedy Performer successful the National Television Awards.

"In 2022, Pauline was awarded an MBE successful the precocious Queen's last Birthday Honours. It was a heartfelt designation of her unthinkable enactment with young people, her contributions to entertainment, and her dedication to charitable causes.

"Her acting vocation has present travel to a close, but Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts (PQA), with its web of astir 250 academies and implicit 15,000 students crossed the UK, remains robust and volition proceed to run arsenic mean successful accordance with Pauline's ideology. Our experienced elder enactment squad volition support the Academies' occurrence and growth, gathering connected the foundations, ethos and doctrine that Pauline has inspired from the opening successful 2007.

"We kindly petition privateness and knowing for Pauline and our household during this hard period. For the clip being we volition not beryllium engaging successful interviews oregon making further statements, since Pauline conscionable wants to walk clip with her family, children and grandchildren. We are profoundly grateful for the enactment from her peers, the public, and the dedicated unit and Principals astatine PQA."

Hilary Evans-Newton, Chief Executive of Alzheimer's Research UK, said successful a connection connected Tuesday: "We are saddened to perceive of Pauline's diagnosis and nonstop our champion wishes to her, Steve and the wider family. The household should beryllium praised for making the brave determination to marque her diagnosis public, which volition not lone supply much state for them, but besides rise specified captious consciousness of the condition.

"We're truthful grateful that Pauline and Steve person pledged to enactment our enactment erstwhile the clip is right. We look guardant to moving with them to rise further consciousness of dementia and funds for research."

If you person been affected by this story, proposal and enactment tin beryllium recovered astatine Dementia UK.

Follow Mirror Celebs onTikTok,Snapchat,Instagram,Twitter,Facebook,YouTubeandThreads.