Lesley Joseph admits best friend Pauline Quirke is ‘not okay’ as she gives health update on dementia stricken co-star

Lesley Joseph has given a devastating health update on her best friend Pauline Quirke amid her battle with dementia.

Pauline, 65, was diagnosed with the disease in 2021, but it only became public knowledge when her husband Steve Sheen made an announcement in January this year.

And now his Birds Of A Feather co-star Lesley, 80, has given an update while chatting to Bella Magazine at the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards last week, admitting the actor is ‘not well’.

He admitted: ‘Pauline, who was diagnosed with dementia some time ago, is not doing very well. It’s not good right now. ‘I haven’t had time, but I’ll go up and see him next week.’

It comes after Lesley admitted she feels ‘huge guilt’ about not being able to spend much time with her grandchildren.

The actress, whose stage and cinema career spans more than sixty years, revealed that she was not a doting grandmother.

Speaking at the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards he admitted: ‘Pauline is not doing well after being diagnosed with dementia some time ago. ‘He’s not well right now’ (pictured in Birds Of A Feather)

Lesley keeps her personal life largely out of the spotlight but has two children, Andrew and Elizabeth, from a previous relationship with Carl Littlejohn.

“I feel a lot of guilt for not being the grandmother my children probably expected,” she said, speaking of having grandchildren for the first time.

‘I’ve never done the school run or babysitting. ‘I find it very difficult to say no to acting jobs.’

Earlier this year, Pauline’s other costar, Linda Robson, shared a heartbreaking health update regarding her friends’ health. She revealed Pauline had been having ‘good days’ lately and even asked her questions.

Speaking on the Loose Women Podcast in collaboration with Mecca Bingo, Linda told Jane Moore that she recently received a call from Pauline’s son Charlie.

He said: ‘Charlie rang me and said he’s doing really well right now. He has bad days sometimes, but right now he’s pretty cheerful about everything.

‘Where’s mate Linda Robson?’ They said they were really excited when he said that. I was quite emotional when he told me.

‘[We’ve known each other] Since we were 10 years old. He has always been a great actor and my best friend.

It comes after Lesley admitted she feels ‘enormous guilt’ about not being able to spend much time with her grandchildren (Photo taken at the Variety Club Showbusiness Awards)

Pauline, 65, was diagnosed with dementia in 2021, but the disease only became public knowledge when her husband Steve Sheen made an announcement in January this year; Pictured with Linda Robson in 1989

‘Unbelievable things have happened to us. When Birds Of A Feather came out we started getting invited to everything. ‘We got VIP tickets for Stringfellas and all these different places, we couldn’t believe our luck.’

In February, Birds of a Feather co-author Maurice Gran revealed that Pauline had difficulty recognizing her own family members. He said: ‘Since his diagnosis his condition has accelerated.

‘He’s still only 65 so your heart goes out to him. At first he felt like he was starting to lose control. We understand that he now has difficulty identifying members of his own family.’

This opened up when Linda realized that her close friend Pauline ‘wasn’t right’.

Linda told Bella Magazine: ‘I haven’t spoken to him for a while and I kept wondering why he wasn’t returning my calls.

‘Finally Steve called me back. Lesley [Joseph] and I went to lunch with him and that’s when we realized something wasn’t right with him and that was three years ago.’

Linda found the news harsh but respected the family’s privacy and kept the diagnosis secret.

He said: ‘I’ve known for the last three years that he wasn’t well. I managed to keep it a secret. ‘It was very important that I did this because it was up to his family to announce it to everyone.’