Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson's feud once got so bad they had rows in toilets before reconciliating with each other.
The Birds of a Feather co-stars have known each other for over five decades, having met at a north London primary school. They used to play games together in the streets after school before joining a drama club as they headed into their teenage years. Linda and Pauline eventually hit the heights in the 1980s when Birds of a Feather attracted in tens of millions of viewers with each episode.
However, Pauline was nowhere to be seen in the Birds of a Feather special back in 2020 as fans became convinced that she and Linda had ended their friendship of 50 years. Her lines in the title song were removed and so were pictures of their characters Tracey and Sharon together.
Linda branded the rumours as "codswallop", yet later confirmed she did feel envious of Pauline at times. A former colleague of the pair has since shared details of their rocky relationship. They claimed: "Pauline and Linda had a really tempestuous relationship at times. There were rows in toilets and disagreements over contracts but things are now much better.
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BBC)"Very few people know Pauline as well as Linda does, they have literally known one another for 55 years. Surely at a time like this having your best childhood friend around will be very comforting. They started out together and they share a very rare bond," told the Daily Mail.
Just two years ago, Linda admitted that she had for a time felt 'envious' of Pauline after she began picking up more serious acting parts. Opening up during an episode of Loose Women, Linda confessed: "So I've never really been jealous of Pauline Quirke but I used to be envious of all the roles she got like dramas and everything.
"I used to think, 'Lovely, I'm really pleased for you but I would love to do some drama role as well'. But now I am doing drama roles, so I don't have to be envious anymore do I! But no jealousy can be a terrible thing really. I was delighted she was so successful but I just wanted a little bit of it as well and I wished I had got that."
Linda and Pauline were last seen together in 2022 when they met up for lunch. The Loose Women star explained: "We had our photo taken together and I got my daughter Roberta to upload it to my Instagram, captioning it: 'A lovely lunch with my beautiful friends.' It was our way of saying, 'There you go, that’ll shut you up!'"
This week, Pauline's husband shared the sad news she has been diagnosed with dementia and is set to "step away from all commercial and professional duties" to spend time with her family. In a statement, he shared: "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."
If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Dementia UK.
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