Regarded as a national treasure, Pauline Collins, the beloved British actress known for Shirley Valentine and Upstairs, Downstairs, died on 5 November 2025. A legend of the stage and screen, Pauline, who passed away at the age of 85, had been quietly living with Parkinson's disease for several years. In an official statement, Pauline's family confirmed the news, describing the star as their "loving mum, our wonderful grandma and great-grandma," as well as a "life-long love" of her husband, actor John Alderton.
Pauline, who welcomed three children – Nicholas, Kate, and Richard – with her husband John, is also survived by her eldest daughter, Louise Rohr, whom she gave up for adoption in 1964, a decision which she described as "awful" and "like having a piece of your heart ripped out" in her memoir, Letter To Louise.
Pauline's candid comments about giving her daughter up for adoption
In 1992, Pauline released her autobiography, Letter to Louise, in which she detailed the heartbreaking adoption of her daughter, which occurred when the actress was just 22 years old. As per the book's description, Pauline had given birth to her daughter in a home for unmarried mothers, after keeping her pregnancy a secret from family and friends. Irish actor Tony Rohr was the father.
"I had her adopted when she was six weeks old. It was the most awful thing ever to do. It's extraordinary how you make these decisions in life. I thought my reasons for doing so were good," Pauline wrote.
"They were partly familial because my parents were teachers at Catholic schools and partly because I had not a penny in the world and nothing to offer this child. It is extraordinary thinking about it now because it means so little now. I remember thinking at one time, if she was a boy, it wasn't so bad to be an illegitimate boy, it was somehow more romantic.
"But it was tougher being an illegitimate girl because there would always be people saying she will go the same way as her mother. For that reason, I decided on adoption. It was awful, it broke my heart. It was like having a piece of your heart ripped out. I think it floors you for the rest of your life."
Pauline's reunion with Louise
Five years after she gave Louise up, Pauline went on to marry John Alderton in 1969, and together they welcomed three children: Nicholas, Kate, and Richard. As detailed in Pauline's memoir, it wasn't until 1986 – 22 years after she had given Louise up – that her daughter reached out in a letter.
"I felt absolutely delighted when I opened her letter. I wasn't surprised, as three days before, I had this extraordinary dream about her in which she was speaking to me, so I knew it was coming. My three children were delighted."
After reconnecting, Pauline was able to put Louise in contact with her birth father, too. Following the release of her 1992 memoir, the TV star made a point of sharing very little about Louise, who is a private person, telling The Guardian in 2012: "Now she likes to be mentioned but not discussed".
Asked why she decided to write the book in the first place, Pauline replied: "That's the only question I'll answer. Two journalists were researching it, and I thought, I know that story – and they don't. So that's the reason."