Loose Women star Linda Robson was on a Caribbean cruise when a statement was released by her friend Pauline Quirke’s husband Steve Sheen

Loose Women star Linda Robson was reportedly caught off guard by the public disclosure of Pauline Quirke’s dementia diagnosis.

Pauline’s spouse, Steve Sheen, has made the heart-wrenching announcement that the actress will be “stepping away from all commercial and professional duties” to cherish time with her loved ones. Quirke, famed for her role as Sharon Theodopolopodous in Birds of a Feather and its 2014-2017 revival, worked closely with Linda.

Steve expressed in his statement: “‘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.”

It emerged on Loose Women that Linda had been privy to Pauline’s condition for “some time”.

At the time of the announcement, Linda was enjoying a Caribbean cruise, blissfully unaware near Grenada that the news would go public, as reported by the Daily Mail. On Monday, Linda had posted an image with a companion captioned: “Having the time of our lives! “, reports the Mirror.

Pauline Quirke, Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph were fan favourites on Birds of a Feather (Image: Pete Dadds / Freemantle Media UK)

Ruth Langsford, Linda’s colleague on Loose Women, mentioned Linda’s absence as the panel discussed Pauline’s health on Tuesday’s episode. Ruth remarked: “Linda Robson, obviously great friends with Pauline, is actually away at the moment, otherwise she would have joined us today to talk about her friend. And obviously she has known for some time.”

Despite being lifelong friends, Linda and Pauline have been subject to speculation about a possible feud over the years. Notably, Pauline’s absence from the 2020 Birds of a Feather special sparked rumors of a rift between the two, with fans assuming their 50-year friendship had come to an end.

The removal of her lines from the show’s theme song and the deletion of images featuring their characters, Tracey and Sharon, together further fueled these speculations.

However, in 2022, Linda broke her silence on the matter, telling The Mirror: “People say Pauline and I have fallen out. Obviously I couldn’t see her during lockdown but I’ve seen her since. She just doesn’t want to act anymore. She’s had enough – it’s long hours. She’s concentrating on her drama academies. She’s very hands on, going to classes and all that.”

Pauline has stepped back from acting following her diagnosis (Image: Getty)

Linda continued, mentioning her frequent interactions with their co-star Lesley Joseph, with whom she won Celebrity Coach Trip. She also shared light-hearted anecdotes about exchanging playful gifts with Lesley during the lockdown.

Furthermore, Linda revealed that both Pauline and Lesley had been incredibly supportive during her illness, regularly calling to check on her well-being.

In a 2023 episode of Loose Women, Linda confessed to previously feeling envious of Pauline’s success in securing more dramatic roles. She admitted, “So I’ve never really been jealous of Pauline Quirke but I used to be envious of all the roles she got like dramas and everything.”

“I used to think, ‘Lovely, I’m really pleased for you but I would love to do some drama role as well’. But now I am doing drama roles, so I don’t have to be envious anymore do I! But no jealousy can be a terrible thing really. I was delighted she was so successful but I just wanted a little bit of it as well and I wished I had got that.”

In 2022, Linda, Pauline, and Lesley quashed any speculation of discord by gathering together for a lunch to put an end to the rumours.

For those impacted by this story, Dementia UK offers advice and support.