Loose Women's Linda Robson has shared a heart-wrenching update on Pauline Quirke's battle with dementia, revealing that the actress "doesn't know who anybody is" anymore.
Last month, Pauline's husband Steve Sheen announced that his wife would be retiring from acting and all professional duties following her dementia diagnosis in 2021.
Reacting to the news, Pauline's Birds Of A Feather co-star and lifelong friend Linda Robson expressed her heartbreak for her best mate, whom she's known since they were both 10 years old.
The pair have been working together since the early days of their careers, but are most famous for their roles as feuding sisters whose husbands are imprisoned in the sitcom that first aired on BBC in 1989.
Linda recently disclosed that she has FaceTimed Pauline several times this year and plans to visit her later this month, reports Bristol Live.
Speaking at the TV Choice Awards to The Sun, Linda opened up about the harsh reality of Pauline's condition, stating that they will be "taking everything really slowly for her".
She revealed: "She doesn't know who anybody is. She doesn't know who I am or who her kids are. Dementia is terrible - I'd rather get cancer, because at least then you've got a chance."
Linda, whose own mother suffered from dementia, declared that she wouldn't consider doing another episode of Birds Of A Feather as it "wouldn't be the same without Pauline".
The sitcom wasn't the only project where the best mates teamed up. Quirke, 65, and Robson joined forces in the slapstick movie 'Junket 89', and the series 'You Must Be Joking! ' back in the 1970s, before reuniting for 'Shine On Harvey Moon' in the 1980s.
Robson also featured on Quirke's chat show 'Pauline's Quirkes', which she started hosting as a teen. Linda, now 66, was visibly moved to tears when she spoke about Pauline's diagnosis on Loose Women last month, receiving comfort from her fellow panellists.
In a heartfelt chat with Heat magazine, Linda opened up about those emotional moments, stressing how "so important" it is to discuss the condition.
She revealed: "I've known about it for three years. We'd managed to keep it quiet until her husband Steve decided it was time to let everyone know.
"We've been best friends since we were 10 years old so it's been really, really hard. One in two people get dementia now. My mum was one of them and loads of my friends' mums are starting to get diagnosed."
