Lesley Joseph: Birds of a Feather star says her 'time is limited' as she opens up on career following co-star Pauline Quirke's dementia diagnosis
Birds of a Feather star Lesley Joseph has revealed that she “doesn’t know how much longer I have left” after wrapping up her role in the hit sitcom.
Speaking to Women’s Own, Lesley said: "At my age, I don't know how much longer I have left in the business. I'm still ambitious, but I know my time is limited."
The actress, who will turn 80 in October, appeared as Dorien Green in the sitcom Birds of a Feather alongside Linda Dobson and Pauline Quirke. The show originally ran between 1989 until 1999, before being revived again between 2014 and 2020.
However, Lesley revealed that she was happy to leave the sitcom where it ended, telling the magazine: "It came as a relief. I wouldn't have wanted to see Dorien with a zimmer frame.” She added: "I've laid her Dorien to rest now.”
Lesley’s admission comes after it was revealed that her Birds of a Feather co-star Pauline Quirke was diagnosed with dementia in 2021. Linda Dobson confirmed that the show was unlikely to ever come back due to the actress’s diagnosis.
She told the Loose Women podcast: “It's not going to come back. Because of Pauline, she's not going to work again now."
However, Linda revealed that she had received a positive update on Pauline’s health from her son Charlie, saying: "Charlie rang me and just said she is doing really, really well at the moment. Sometimes she has down days, but at the moment she is quite up about everything."