Birds of a Feather star Pauline Quirke was diagnosed with dementia in 2021.
Pauline Quirke’s son appeared on Lorraine today
Pauline Quirke’s son Charlie has spoken out about his mum amid her dementia battle, revealing “every day is different”.
The actress went public with her condition last year after first being diagnosed with dementia in 2021. Since then, the Birds of a Feather star has stepped out of the spotlight.
And on Wednesday (September 9), her son Charlie appeared on ITV’s Lorraine, where he spoke about a new campaign he is a part of for Alzheimer’s Research UK.
He said: “Alzheimer’s Research UK has made this brand campaign, and it’s putting a positive light on something that doesn’t have a lot of positivity around it. We believe someone alive today could be the first person to be cured of Alzheimer’s disease.”
Charlie then issued a fresh update on his beloved mum. Lorraine asked him: “When I was telling everyone you were in this morning, and you know the affection for your mum is huge, they just all want to know how she is?”
Charlie replied: “Mum, she’s great. Every day is different, it’s part of our journey. We still do as much as we can, we still go out for lunch, I made her sit through the West Ham win last night.”
Charlie added, “We’ve got such a close family unit that it makes it easier on our journey. But touch wood, she’s happy.”
Lorraine said: “That’s the main thing, that she’s happy and she’s safe and she feels surrounded by people that love her.”
Former Emmerdale actress Pauline’s dementia diagnosis became public knowledge last year, though her son Charlie Quirke disclosed in November that Pauline could still identify her relatives.
He revealed to BBC Breakfast at the time: “My mum knows exactly who we are. Every time she sees all of us, she smiles, laughs, says ‘I love you’, says ‘hello’.”
Pauline’s spouse, Steve, admitted they remain uncertain about precisely where the actress stands regarding the dementia, a condition that leads to deteriorating cognitive and memory abilities.
He explained: “Unfortunately, we are not in the state where we can do much about it. Just take every day, and try to take the best moment out of that day you can.
EastEnders airs Monday to Thursday at 7:30pm on BBC One.