Linda Robson and Pauline Quirke's friendship from close pals to 'envy and feud'

13 February 2024 , 11:55

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Linda Robson and Pauline Quirke have been friends for more than 50 years (Image: BBC)

For more than 50 years, Linda Robson and Pauline Quirke have been as thick as thieves, sharing a rollercoaster journey from young aspiring actresses to two of the most iconic sitcom stars of the '90s.

The North London-born duo, now 65 and 64 years old respectively, have had each other's back from their schooldays onward, being there for one another through good times and bad. But like many close pals who spend huge amounts of time together, the pair have also had to deal with a fair few ups and downs along the way.

In recent years, they've even had to shut down rumours of a heated rift between them, which Linda has previously blasted as 'a load of old codswallop'.

Childhood pals

Even as teens, Pauline and Linda were TV naturals

Pauline and Linda struck up a friendship when they were just 10 years old, while both attending Islington's Anna Scher Theatre School, which has produced household names such as Natalie Cassidy and Kathy Burke. They also attended the same primary school in North London, with Pauline being in the year below.

During a 2016 appearance on Loose Women, Linda declared they'd known each other 'practically from the womb'. Elaborating on their early connection in a more recent interview with the Mail Online, Linda said: "From the moment I met Pauline Quirke, we clicked.

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"It was a firm two-peas-in-a-pod-type friendship right from the off, although we never realised just how intertwined our lives would become.[...] I just loved being around her. I think everyone did, because she was that kind of character."

The pair even appeared together on Pauline's comedy sketch show Pauline's Quirkes in 1976, back when they were still both teenagers. The natural back and forth between the duo proved to be telly gold, paving the way for enormous joint successes to come.

Through thick and thin

Pauline and Linda stuck by each other's sides as they shot to fame (Fremantle Media/REX/Shutterstock)

In 1989, the pals shot to fame with the now widely beloved sitcom Birds of a Feather, in which they played Sharon Theodopolopodous and Tracey Stubbs - sisters who are brought together after their husbands are both imprisoned for armed robbery.

Their obvious closeness shone through their characters' hijinks and Birds of a Feather ended up running for 12 seasons and 129 episodes between 1989 and 2020. As their fame heightened, Pauline and Linda stuck together, much like their onscreen counterparts, getting ready together in shared dressing rooms while on tour, and sleeping in the same rooms and shared apartments.

Rumours of a feud

Fans grew suspicious after Pauline bowed out of Birds of a Feather's 2020 Christmas special (ITV)

In recent years, the two friends have had to deal with rumours of a feud, especially when Pauline was nowhere to be seen in the 30th-anniversary episode of Birds of a Feather in 2019. She also opted not to reunite with Linda and their co-star Lesley Joseph - who played snobby neighbour Dorien Green - for a Christmas special the following year.

An ITV spokesperson said at the time: "Unfortunately, Pauline Quirke will not be taking part as she's stepping back from acting to focus on her 200 nationwide performing arts academies." However, the rumour mill quickly went into overdrive, with some believing there must have been a rift.

Eagle-eyed fans also couldn't help but notice that Pauline had been cropped out of a cat photo shared by Lesley on Instagram account that same year. A source told the Mail on Sunday at the time: "Both Linda and Lesley were saddened that Pauline didn't want to return to make a 30th anniversary episode.

"Linda and Pauline used to be very close, less so Pauline and Lesley. I think Pauline resented the attention that Lesley got and it was very tense and difficult to navigate at times. Pauline wasn't approached about the Christmas special. The atmosphere on the set had previously become difficult, there were real and tense issues."

Addressing this gossip at the time, Linda told The Sun: "Take no notice of what you've heard about me and Pauline falling out. It's a load of old codswallop. Pauline just chose not to do Birds Of A Feather.

"She wants to concentrate on her acting academy, that's that." She continued: "We've known each other since we were 10. We're friends. Will Pauline return to the show? I don't know. I just know that the Christmas special went down really well. ITV were really, really pleased."

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Feelings of 'envy'

Linda admits she grew 'envious' after Pauline started to bag more serious drama roles (BBC)

In April 2023, 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'." Linda, who was praised by her fellow panellists for being so honest, continued: "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."

Setting the record straight

Linda, Pauline and Lesley all met up for a 'lovely lunch' in the hopes of quashing any rumours (mirror.co.uk)

In a recent piece penned for the Mail Online, Linda addressed the feud rumours the pair have had to contend with for years, and explained why Pauline had really bowed out of the 2020 Christmas episode. According to Linda, Pauline had told her: "I don't want to act anymore. It's not Birds of a Feather itself, it's everything. I feel like I'm done with it. I feel bad for you two, but you can go on without me."

Although she and Lesley had been disappointed, they also accepted her decision, and Linda has blasted any whispers about 'bad blood' as 'bull****', declaring that their friendship would outlast any TV show as they had been there 'for each other through thick and thin and for every single major life event'.

In 2022, Linda, Pauline, and Lesley attempted to dispel any row rumours by meeting up for lunch in Central London - making sure there were photos taken of the occasion. Linda said: "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!’"

Julia Banim