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Birds of a Feather actress Pauline Quirke has been diagnosed with dementia and will step away from acting, her husband has announced. Steve Sheen said the actress, 65, will retire from “all professional and commercial duties” following a diagnosis in 2021. In a statement, he said: “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.

“Pauline has been an inspiration through her work in the film and TV industry, her charity endeavours and as the founder of the very successful Pauline Quirke Academy of Performing Arts (PQA). Pauline Quirke being made an MBE (Jonathan Brady/PA) The celebrated actress rose to fame for her role as Sharon Theodopolopodous on long-running sitcom Birds of a Feather, winning a British Comedy Award for the role. She has also starred in ITV drama Broadchurch, Emmerdale and BBC series The Sculptress, the psychological thriller based on Minette Walters’s novel about convicted murderer Olive Martin.



In 2022, Quirke was awarded an MBE, recognising her dedication to charitable causes, contributions to the entertainment industry and work with young people. “Her acting career has now come to a close, but PQA, with its network of approximately 250 academies and over 15,000 students across the UK, remains robust and will continue to operate as normal in accordance with Pauline’s ideology,” Sheen said. “We kindly request privacy an.

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