Beloved Oscar-Winning Actress 'Fought Secret Illness With Dignity Until the End' Before Death at 85

Pauline Collins spent her final years fighting Parkinson's disease in private – a battle those closest to her say she faced "with quiet strength and extraordinary grace."

The Oscar-winning star of Shirley Valentine kept her diagnosis secret for nearly a decade, determined the world would remember her not for her illness, but for her work, insiders say.

Collins, who recently died at the age of 85 in her London care home, had long refused to reveal her condition publicly, fearing sympathy might overshadow her lifelong devotion to her craft. Sources now say she "carried on smiling" through relentless physical decline, insisting on maintaining her independence even as the disease took its toll.

"She never wanted people to feel sorry for her," said a close friend. "Pauline knew Parkinson's would eventually win, but she met it head-on. She was proud, dignified, and always thinking of others – even when she could barely stand. It was the most courageous performance of her life."

Collins' family confirmed the cause of death for the first time this week, revealing the actress had been battling the neurodegenerative illness for several years. In a heartfelt statement announcing her passing, they added: "We particularly want to thank her carers: angels who looked after her with dignity, compassion, and most of all love. She could not have had a more peaceful goodbye. We hope you will remember her at the height of her powers, so joyful and full of energy; and give us the space and privacy to contemplate a life without her."

Those who knew Collins well say she continued working and mentoring younger actors for as long as her condition allowed. One former colleague said: "Even when her voice began to tremble, she'd still offer advice, still make you laugh. Pauline's attitude was, 'We're all going to die someday, so why waste a moment feeling sorry for yourself?' She fought that disease the same way she approached her career – with humor, heart, and absolute dignity."

Collins' husband of 56 years, actor John Alderton, said: "Pauline was a remarkable star. 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.' It's no wonder that she was voted the nation's sweetheart in the 1970s. She will always be remembered for Shirley Valentine, not only for her Oscar nomination or the film itself, but for clean-sweeping all seven awards when she portrayed her on Broadway in the stage play, in which she played every character herself. But her greatest performance was as my wife and mother to our beautiful children."

Alderton was said to be "utterly devoted" to the actress in her final years, visiting her daily at the care home where she spent her last months. "He was her rock," said a source. "They had that rare, unshakeable love – the kind that survives everything, even illness."

Collins, who won an Olivier Award for Shirley Valentine and was made an OBE in 2001, had once said she hoped to "die laughing, surrounded by love." According to those who were with her, she came very close.