Forever Valentine

Vivacious star Pauline Collins has died at 85

- BY ALLISTER HAGGER

FROM a maid who longed for the stage in Upstairs, Downstairs to a housewife who fell in love with life in Shirley Valentine, Pauline Collins made her characters' dreams come true.

And with her witty, sparkling performances, she took the viewers along for the ride.

Pauline, who has died aged 85 after living with Parkinson's disease, will forever be remembered as Shirley, on both stage and screen.

But as her husband - fellow actor John Alderton - said: "Her greatest performance was as my wife and mother to our beautiful children."

John, 84, married Pauline in 1969, two years before they starred in costume drama Upstairs, Downstairs - she as servant-turned-actor Sarah, he as chauffeur Thomas.

He added: "I had the great good fortune to have worked with her more than any other actor in our many TV series, films and West End stage shows together - and watched her genius at close quarters.

"What I saw was not only her brilliant range of diverse characters but her magic of bringing out the best in all of the people she worked with.

"She wanted everyone to be special and she did this by never saying, 'Look at me.