Linda Robson admits feeling 'envious' of Pauline Quirke's career success
Loose Women star Linda Robson has confessed to feeling "envious" of her Birds of a Feather co-star Pauline Quirke's "amazing roles". The pair, who became household names as the Birds of a Feather duo, actually met much earlier at the tender age of 10 while at school.
Their friendship blossomed through their teenage years, with both attending drama club and eventually starring in their own BBC show which debuted in 1989. After sharing the screen for an impressive 25 years, with a hiatus in between, Linda has candidly spoken about her thoughts on Pauline's significant achievements outside of their joint work.
During a recent Loose Women podcast episode, when Jane Moore posed a question about potential career envy, Linda responded: "I won't say that I felt jealous of her success, but sometimes I thought I'd love to have a part like that because she's done some amazing things in the past like Broadchurch and lots and lots of different things", reports Bristol Live.
She continued: "So I've never been jealous of it, but I've just often thought that I would have loved that part myself, and I've even told her that as well."
To clarify her feelings, she explained: "Envious rather than jealous. I don't want her to do something that goes wrong either, whatever happened, I'd be there to help her."
Despite having both featured in all 12 series of Birds of a Feather, it was revealed that Pauline would not join the cast for the 2020 Christmas Special.
Linda recounted to Mail+ last year how Pauline expressed at the time: "'I don't want to act any more', she said," adding that the former co-star also conveyed: "'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'."
Beyond Birds of a Feather, Pauline has carved out a remarkable acting career, gracing several of the UK's most popular TV shows.
Her standout performance came as Hazel Rhodes in Emmerdale, a role she held from 2010 to 2012, featuring intense plots such as her on-screen son Jackson Walsh's assisted suicide saga, resulting in her character and his partner Aaron Dingle, portrayed by Danny Miller, being implicated in his death.
Pauline has also brought her talents to an array of other beloved British television series, including Broadchurch, Skins, and Cold Blood.
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