Linda Robson broke down crying live on Monday’s Loose Women after her granddaughters wished her a happy 64th birthday in a video message.
The actress admitted she couldn’t contain her emotion since she hadn’t seen Lila, eight, and Betsy, four, for an entire week – adding that she won’t be reunited with the eldest for a few more days.
After being presented with a bouquet of flowers and a stand of delicious cupcakes, the TV personality watched on as the little ones spoke from the bottom of their stairs.
Bawling: Linda Robson broke down crying live on Monday’s Loose Women after her granddaughters wished her a happy 64th birthday in a video message
Lila said: ‘Happy birthday nanny, hope you have a great day. Love you loads, Lila and Betsie,’ with her sister adding, ‘Love you.’
The Birds Of A Feather star gushed: ‘She’s just gone on a school journey today so I won’t see her for a week.’
Later in the day, she took to Instagram to share a slew of snaps from a fun-filled dinner out with her showbiz pals, Lesley Joseph and Christopher Biggins.
She proudly held up a glittery pink purse with a ‘Nanny Linda’ motif while beaming from ear-to-ear, with Betsie soon joining her to blow out her candles.
Surprise: The actress admitted she couldn’t contain her emotion since she hadn’t seen Lila, eight, (left) and Betsy, four, (right) for an entire week – adding that she won’t be reunited with the eldest for a few more days
Crying: After being presented with a bouquet of flowers and a stand of delicious cupcakes, the TV personality watched on as the little ones spoke from the bottom of their stairs
In her caption, she wrote: ‘Thank you all for your lovely messages yesterday. I had a lovely birthday. Thank you to everyone who made it so special! X.’
Notably missing was longtime pal Pauline Quirke, who Linda was recently forced to shut down rumours of a rift with.
The TV personality claimed that she still speaks to Birds Of A Feather co-star Pauline, 62, and says her friend was a ‘great support’ to her when she battled drink problems and an OCD ‘meltdown’ in 2018.
Meanwhile, Linda also quashed reports of a rift between her and her Loose Women co-stars, with Linda defiantly remarking that the same questions of a feud wouldn’t be asked if it were a men’s show.
Sweet: Lila said: ‘Happy birthday nanny, hope you have a great day. Love you loads, Lila and Betsie,’ with her sister adding, ‘Love you’
Awful: The Birds Of A Feather star gushed: ‘She’s just gone on a school journey today so I won’t see her for a week’
Last year, it was said that Linda and Pauline were no longer on speaking terms, with it alleged that matters became so heated at one point that childhood friends had to be separated by crew members during filming at Teddington Studios in West London.
While it was said that they are not amicable after Pauline was involved in a tense face-off with fellow TV star Lesley Joseph, 76, outside TV studio toilets.
But addressing the supposed rift, Linda told The Mirror: ‘People say Pauline and I have fallen out. Obviously I couldn’t see her during lockdown but I’ve seen her since. She just doesn’t want to act anymore. She’s had enough – it’s long hours.’
She added that she still sees fellow Birds of a Feather co-star Lesly Joseph, 76, ‘all the time’, joking that during lockdown, she would leave ‘funny things’ on her doorstep such as urinary incontinence pads and hair dye.
Gang: Later in the day, she took to Instagram to share a slew of snaps from a fun-filled dinner out with her showbiz pals, Lesley Joseph (left) and Christopher Biggins
Gift: She proudly held up a glittery pink purse with a ‘Nanny Linda’ motif while beaming from ear-to-ear
However, despite not seeing much of Pauline recently, Linda insisted that there’s no bad blood, telling how both Pauline and Lesley were a huge support to her in her hours of need.
She went on: ‘When I was ill, both Pauline and Lesley rang me, or a member of my family, every couple of days to see how I was. They were both a big support and really there for me.’
Linda added that Pauline has taken a step back from acting to concentrate on her drama academies, adding that the actress is ‘very hands on’ with the project.
Last year Linda said it was Pauline’s ‘choice’ not to appear in the one-off Bird of a Feather episode in 2020 and that the cast had ‘to respect’ her decision.
Cute: Betsie soon joined Linda in blowing out the candles on her delicious-looking cake
Grateful: In her caption, she wrote: ‘Thank you all for your lovely messages yesterday. I had a lovely birthday. Thank you to everyone who made it so special! X’
Pauline’s character Sharon Theodopolopodous was written out of the episode as being ‘stuck on a Covid cruise’.
It was later announced that the long-running sitcom had been axed despite attracting an audience of 7.9 million for the Christmas special, with ITV deciding against ordering more episodes after Pauline decided not to take part in the special.
Meanwhile, Linda addressed reports of an alleged fall out with her fellow Loose Women panelists.
She fumed: ‘Just because it’s a women’s show people always ask “Do we get on?”. We do get on. They wouldn’t ask that of a man about a men’s show would they? We all meet up with each other all the time.’
Linda went on to say that Janet Street-Porter kindly rang her everyday when she was off from work, while she also visited pal Brenda Edwards in the wake of her son Jamal’s tragic death earlier this month.
On how Brenda is coping, Linda told how she’s not sure that Brenda ‘knows what’s hit her yet’, insisting all her co-stars ‘love’ and are ‘there for her’.
Elsewhere during the chat, Linda told how she was now ‘absolutely fine’ following her 2018 when she suffered an OCD meltdown, with the star also having anxiety and self-medicating with alcohol.
She told how she feels like her life is getting back to ‘normal, though she noted that she still likes to be very organised, having her work clothes ‘ready to go’ the night before and will always have her house ‘really clean and orderly’ before heading out.
No drama: Notably missing was longtime pal Pauline Quirke (left), who Linda was recently forced to shut down rumours of a rift with
