Lesley Joseph, Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson
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Lesley Joseph shuts down Pauline Quirke questions on GMB as Linda Robson declares she’d ‘rather have cancer’

Lesley reflected on her friendship with the Birds of a Feather star

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Lesley Joseph starred on Good Morning Britain today where she brushed over questions about her friend and co-star Pauline Quirke.

The Dorian Green star shut down GMB host Rob Rinder’s asks about Pauline, when discussing aging on the show.

Rob Rinder on Good Morning Britain
Rob discussed his close friendship with Lesley (Credit: ITV)

Lesley Joseph shrugs off Pauline Quirke questions

Lesley appeared on GMB today where she sat down to chat about dating beyond your fifties.

It was here that Rob and Lesley reflected on companionship and their own close friendship. He said: “You do have a gift for friendship,” to which Lesley insisted it is because she “loves life”.

The pair reminisced on when they previously starred in panto together and a wonderful day where Rob cooked for Lesley and even gave her a foot rub – solidifying just how strong the bonds are that Lesley makes.

Rob acknowledged just how wonderful Lesley is at fulfilling their friendship, as well as her relationships with her Birds of A Feather co-stars.

Charlotte Hawkins probed: “We saw, obviously, you in Birds of A Feather, it was particularly poignant watching it now that we have all heard the news with Pauline Quirke being diagnosed with dementia and just what a shock that must be.”

Lesley Joseph smiling on GMB
Lesley discussed ageing and dating on the show (Credit: ITV)

Lesley Joseph on Pauline Quirke’s legacy

Lesley then stated: “I have to say, what a wonderful actress she is and what joy she has given, not just in Birds of a Feather but in The Sculptress, where she was really scary, and in Broadchurch and Emmerdale.

“I just really take my hat off to Pauline Quirke. She is amazing.”

Lesley then shut down any further questioning on Pauline’s recent diagnosis.

The actress insisted: “I won’t talk about her at the moment, not with her illness because that is private.”

Charlotte then replied: “I completely understand.”

Lesley went on to state her own experience after being impacted by dementia, explaining her mum lived to nearly 104 and had suffered from dementia, despite being very active in her nineties.

Pauline Quirke on Loose Women
Pauline’s diagnosis was revealed last month (Credit: ITV)

Linda Robson makes devastating comments about Pauline’s diagnosis

Meanwhile, Linda Robson has recently made a bombshell revelation about how she feels about Pauline’s devastating diagnosis.

Linda told The Sun at Monday night’s TV Choice Awards: “It’s very sad. We’ve been best friends since we were 10. I’ve known [about the diagnosis] for three years and we’ve managed to keep it quiet.

Linda Robson on This Morning
Linda Robson has spoken out about Pauline’s dementia battle (Credit: ITV)

“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.”

In January, Pauline’s husband shared a statement revealing that the Birds of A Feather star had to step away from acting due to her diagnosis.

She first received her dementia diagnosis in 2021.

Read more: Rob Rinder makes rare comment about ill-fated marriage: ‘That’s probably why it didn’t work out’

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Emily Towers
TV & Showbiz Writer
Emily loves to write about the latest trending news, whether it’s reality TV chaos or Royal drama. She also has a passion for translating editorial content into share-worthy social media posts after spending two years as a social media manager and marketing executive.