Linda Robson on the shock toll Birds of a Feather spending had on her finances

11 February 2024 , 11:38

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Linda Robson on the shock toll Birds of a Feather spending had on her finances

Linda Robson has said that her spending during the height of her Birds of a Feather fame had become an addiction and she faced spiralling debts when the sitcom came to an end.

The 65-year-old Loose Women panellist enjoyed the high life when Birds of a Feather was riding high as one of the most popular TV shows, with tens of millions tuning in for each episode. Linda said that she was spending "like no tomorrow" as the sitcom brought "financial security" but when it came to an end, the money dried up and Linda was facing spiralling debts.

Speaking to Mail+, Linda admitted: "There was a period during the 90s when [Pauline Quirle and I] were having money thrown at us... We were getting paid a fortune." She continued to say that this money enabled her to buy a "beautiful four-bed Georgian house in Islington," with her husband and kids and fill it with "lovely furniture, lights which cost a fortune from Liberty, and wallpaper and cushions by Designers Guild."

Linda Robson admits she had a spending addiction at the height of her fame

With the money coming in, Linda admitted that she having a good time... until it all came crashing down. She said: "For several years, I spent like there was no tomorrow. But of course tomorrow did come. It always does. And it hit me (and my bank account) like a truck."

This came in 1998 when Birds of a Feather ended, as the stars of the sitcom looked to explore other avenues after more than 90 episodes of the hit show. Linda admitted: "Now, it had been all well and good splashing the cash when Birds Of A Feather was riding high. But when that came grinding to a halt, my finances crashed. I had no regular work and certainly nothing that was going to pay anything like as much as Birds Of A Feather had. I found myself trapped in spiralling debt."

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Birds of a Feather brought fame and fortune to its stars, Pauline Quirke, Lesley Joseph and Linda Robson

Linda said that she wasn't "buying designer clothes or frivolous things for myself" and that the money she was earning was "mostly spent on gifts for other people." She admits that when the sitcom came to an end, she should have tried to curb her spending but found she was addicted to the feeling it gave her and she "carried on spending."

Eventually, she confessed to her husband that the spending was out of control. Drastic action was required and that came in the form up cutting up store cards and credit cards. A financial plan was put in place and they "came up with an idea of giving me an allowance." This is something that is still in place today and Linda admitted: "I get given a set amount on a Monday and another one on a Friday, like pocket money."

James Brinsford