Lesley Joseph has given a devastating health update on her best friend Pauline Quirke amid her dementia battle.
Pauline, 65, was diagnosed with the disease in 2021, but the illness only became public knowledge when her husband Steve Sheen made an announcement in January this year.
And now her Birds Of A Feather co-star Lesley, 80, has admitted the actress is ‘not okay’ as she gave an update while chatting to Bella magazine at the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards last week.
She admitted: ‘Pauline is not too well after being diagnosed with dementia a while ago. She’s not okay now. I haven’t had time, but I’m going to go up and see her next week.’
It comes after Lesley admitted she feels ‘tremendous guilt’ for failing to spend much time with her grandchildren.
The actress, whose stage and screen career has spanned over sixty years, revealed she is not exactly a doting grandmother.
Lesley Joseph has admitted her best friend Pauline Quirke is ‘not okay’ as she gave a health update on the dementia stricken co-star last week
Speaking at the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards she admitted: ‘Pauline is not too well after being diagnosed with dementia a while ago. She’s not okay now’ (pictured in Birds Of A Feather)
Lesley has largely kept her personal life out of the spotlight but she has two children, Andrew and Elizabeth, from a previous relationship with Carl Littlejohn.
‘I feel tremendous guilt for not being the grandmother my kids probably expected,’ she said, as she discussed having grandchildren for the first time.
‘I’ve never done the school run or babysitting. I just find it hard to say no to acting jobs.’
Earlier this year Pauline’s other co-star Linda Robson shared a heartbreaking health update on her pals health as she revealed that Pauline has been having ‘up days’ recently and has even been asking after her.
Speaking on the Loose Women Podcast, in collaboration with Mecca Bingo, Linda told Jane Moore that she recently had a call from Pauline’s son Charlie.
She said: ‘Charlie rang me and said she’s doing really really well at the moment. Sometimes she has down days, but at the moment she’s quite up about everything.
‘They said they got really excited when she said “where’s my mate Linda Robson?” I got quite emotional when he told me.
‘[We’ve known each other] since we were 10 years old. She’s always been an amazing actress and my best friend.
It comes after Lesley admitted she feels ‘tremendous guilt’ for failing to spend much time with her grandchildren (pictured at the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards)
Pauline, 65, was diagnosed with dementia in 2021, but the illness only became public knowledge when her husband Steve Sheen made an announcement in January this year; pictured in 1989 with Linda Robson
‘Amazing things happened to us. When Birds Of A Feather came out we started getting invited to everything. We got VIP tickets for Stringfellows and all these different places, we couldn’t believe our luck.’
Back in February, Maurice Gran, co-writer of Birds of a Feather, explained Pauline was experiencing trouble recognising her own family members. He said: ‘Since the diagnosis, her condition has gathered pace.
‘She’s still only 65 so your heart goes out to her. Initially, she felt she was beginning to lose her grip. Now, we understand she struggles to identify members of her own family.’
It comes after Linda opened up about the moment she realised that close friend Pauline ‘wasn’t right’.
Linda told Bella Magazine: ‘I hadn’t spoken to her for a little while and I kept wondering why she hadn’t returned my calls.
‘Eventually, Steve phoned me back. Lesley [Joseph] and I went for lunch with her and that’s when we realised something wasn’t right with her, and that was three years ago.’
Linda found the news hard, but respected the family’s privacy and kept the diagnosis confidential.
She said: ‘I’ve known for the last three years that she wasn’t well. I managed to keep it a secret. It was very important that I did, because it was up to her family when it was time for them to let everyone know.’
