Birds of a Feather star Pauline Quirke has stepped away from performing. Releasing a press release, Steve Sheen – Pauline’s husband of 28 years – confirmed that she had resigned from “all skilled and industrial duties” after receiving a dementia prognosis. 

“It’s with a heavy coronary heart that I announce my spouse Pauline’s resolution to step again from all skilled and industrial duties because of her prognosis of dementia in 2021,” he started. 

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“Pauline has been an inspiration via her work within the movie and TV business, her charity endeavours and because the founding father of the very profitable Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts (PQA).

“Her expertise, dedication and imaginative and prescient have touched numerous lives, and can proceed to take action via the legacy of her work and thru PQA the place her imaginative and prescient and steering has facilitated many younger individuals’s development and curiosity within the arts, and enhanced their self-confidence.

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Steve continued: “We kindly request privateness and understanding for Pauline and our household throughout this tough interval. In the meanwhile, we is not going to be partaking in interviews or making additional statements, since Pauline simply needs to spend time along with her household, kids and grandchildren.”

Alongside Pauline’s resolution to retire, it has been famous that Pauline and her household have “pledged future help to Alzheimer’s Analysis UK”. The organisation introduced that they are going to be working “to drive funds for analysis and consciousness of dementia”. 

Hilary Evans-Newton, chief govt of Alzheimer’s Analysis UK, mentioned: “We’re saddened to listen to of Pauline’s prognosis and ship our greatest needs to her, Steve and the broader household.

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“The household ought to be praised for making the courageous resolution to make her prognosis public, which is not going to solely present extra freedom for them, but additionally increase such very important consciousness of the situation.

“We’re so grateful that Pauline and Steve have pledged to help our work when the time is true. We sit up for working with them to boost additional consciousness of dementia and funds for analysis.”

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Pauline, 65, has kept away from asserting her dementia prognosis lately. A TV icon, the actress and comic lent her abilities to sequence together with Birds of a Feather, Emmerdale and Broadchurch. Away from the cameras, she is a proud mum of two, having welcomed her son Charlie and daughter Emily along with her husband, Steve. 

Pauline made her final public look in 2023, the place she was awarded an MBE for providers to younger individuals, leisure and charity by Prince William.