Pauline Quirke diagnosed with dementia and steps away from acting after 50-year career

Pauline Quirke, champion known for her relation successful sitcom Birds of a Feather and soap Emmerdale, volition for the clip being "step distant from each commercialized and nonrecreational duties"

Birds of a Feather prima Pauline Quirke has been diagnosed with dementia, her hubby Steve Sheen has contiguous announced.

The 65-year-old actress, who played Sharon Theodopolopodous successful the archetypal bid of the sitcom and its revival betwixt 2014 and 2017, is acceptable to "step distant from each commercialized and nonrecreational duties" to walk clip with her family.

Pauline, who has besides been successful Emmerdale, Broadchurch and The Sculptress, won the Best TV Comedy Newcomer astatine the British Comedy Awards successful 1990 for her relation successful Birds of a Feather, primitively connected BBC One. She, Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph each reprised their roles erstwhile the sitcom returned - this clip to ITV - successful 2014.

But present Pauline volition instrumentality a interruption from acting crossed TV, movie and stage. Steve said successful the statement: "'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."

TV shaper Steve, who joined Pauline successful 1996, besides praised his partner's versatility successful his poignant statement, noting she had played comedic characters, loyal heroes and almighty matriarchs implicit the decades.

The statement, arsenic seen by Mail Online, added: "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.

"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."

Pauline, calved successful Hackney, eastbound London, and Steve stock lad Charlie, 30, who has followed successful his mother's acting footsteps, and adjacent starred connected Birds Of A Feather's revival successful 2019. The prima besides has girl Emily, 40, from a erstwhile relationship. 

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."