Birds of a Feather Star’s Son to Retrace Her Life’s Most Meaningful Places in Emotional Tribute: “She Still Says ‘I Love You’”

LONDON – November 20, 2025 – Charlie Quirke, the 31-year-old actor and son of beloved Birds of a Feather star Pauline Quirke, has shared a deeply moving update on his mother’s ongoing battle with dementia, revealing that despite the cruel progression of the disease, “she still recognises us — and still smiles.” In an exclusive interview with The Mirror, Charlie described how the 66-year-old comedy icon, who quietly stepped away from public life in 2021, continues to light up when her family is near. “Some days are harder than others,” he said, voice breaking, “but when she looks at me and says ‘I love you,’ it’s everything. That’s still Mum.”

Pauline, who played Sharon Theodopolopodous for 28 years alongside Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph, was diagnosed with dementia in 2020 after noticing memory lapses during rehearsals. She chose to retire gracefully, with her final on-screen appearance in the 2020 Birds of a Feather Christmas special. Friends say the decision was devastating but dignified: “She wanted to bow out while people remembered her laughing,” Lesley Joseph told Good Morning Britain last year.

Charlie, who followed his mother into acting with roles in Birds of a Feather and Casualty, has become her primary advocate. Next month he will undertake a 120 km (75-mile) fundraising walk from Pauline’s childhood home in Essex to the iconic Birds of a Feather filming locations in Chigwell, then on to the London Palladium where she once starred in pantomime. The route passes the hospital where Charlie was born, the café where Pauline wrote her first scripts, and the park bench where she taught him to ride a bike. “Every step is a memory,” he explained. “I want to raise money for Dementia UK so other families get the support we wish we’d had earlier.”

The walk, dubbed “For Mum – 120 km of Love,” has already raised £87,000 through a JustGiving page that went viral after Linda Robson and Lesley Joseph shared it. “Pauline was our sister in every way,” Robson wrote. “Charlie’s doing what she would do — turning pain into purpose.” Supporters include former co-stars Jake Roche, Matt Willis, and Natalie Cassidy, who have pledged to join sections of the route.

Charlie’s updates have been both heartbreaking and hopeful. “Some days she thinks I’m still 10,” he laughed through tears. “Other days she remembers I’m married and asks about the grandkids she hasn’t met yet. But the smile — that’s always there. And the ‘I love you’ — she says it every single visit.” He credits carer support and music therapy for keeping Pauline engaged: “Play the Birds of a Feather theme and she’s suddenly Sharon again, doing the voice, making us howl.”

The walk begins December 12 — Pauline’s 67th birthday — and will end at the London television studios where she filmed her final scenes. Charlie plans to live-stream parts of the journey, reading messages from fans at each stop. “I want her to know, even if she can’t walk it with me, that the whole country is walking for her,” he said.

Pauline Quirke spent decades making Britain laugh. Now her son is making sure her legacy helps others facing the same silent storm. As Charlie puts it: “She taught me love is louder than any disease.”