Charlie Quirke appeared on Good Morning Britain on Friday to discuss his mother's dementia battle and his upcoming marathon run. According to multiple reports, Charlie is training for the London Marathon and will carry a photo of himself and his mother around the route. He described his mother as his best friend and the funniest woman he knows, according to the Daily Mail. He added that the family takes each day as it comes and tries to learn about the condition together.
Pauline Quirke's husband Steve Sheen revealed that she is set to step away from all commercial and professional duties following her dementia diagnosis in 2021. Her last public appearance was receiving an MBE at Windsor Castle in February 2023. In a social media post at the time, Charlie wrote: "To my beautiful mum. I can't start to tell you how proud I am of my mum getting her MBE today. Her services to charity, young people & the entertainment industry. To the most selfless, funniest and most caring person I know."
She's still my best friend... She's still the funniest woman in the world and with her acting ability she can do so much with a look or a wink or a word, and she's still the funniest person that I know.
According to the Daily Mail, Charlie said he will carry a photo of himself and his mother from the day he was born, given to him by his father, and will take it out when he crosses the finish line. He also noted that his mother has always been humble, viewing acting as just a job, and that she would be more concerned with everyday tasks like cooking dinner or doing laundry. Charlie is running with friends and said they are doing it for his mother and for others suffering from the condition.
The current stage of Pauline Quirke's dementia has not been disclosed, and it is unclear whether she will make any further public appearances. The specific professional duties she is stepping away from have not been detailed, nor has the amount raised by Charlie for Alzheimer's Research UK. The family's care arrangements for Pauline remain private.
The illness is what it is, it's a marathon and not a sprint, we take every day as it comes and every day is a good day for us.
We don't know any different, this is just the hand of the cards we've been dealt and it's different for everyone around the country that's going through the same thing.
We take every day as it comes, every day is a school day, and we try and do the best we can and learn about the condition, us and mum, and smile.
[Mum] will be up watching up, they always watch it every year and now this time their little boy will be running it.
I'll be carrying a photo of me and my mum together so, I only found it yesterday it's from the day I was born, my dad gave it to me, so I'm going to have that in my vest and take it out when I cross the finish line.
I never said I would do [the marathon], but I've got an amazing few friends doing it with me, and we're doing it all for my mum and for everyone else suffering with the condition.
My mum has always been the most humble woman in the world, it was just purely a job to her.
She would be thinking about what she was going to cook us for dinner, or what has to go in the washing machine for our uniforms the next day.
We all can look back, and the amount of decades my mum has been working, it's quite a breadth of work, what she's done, she's changed people's lives and she's just an incredible, incredible woman.
To my beautiful mum. I can't start to tell you how proud I am of my mum getting her MBE today. Her services to charity, young people & the entertainment industry. To the most selfless, funniest and most caring person I know