Pauline Collins Reflected on Painful Adoption Decision
Pauline Collins once shared that giving up her first child for adoption was the most heartbreaking choice she ever faced. The acclaimed actress, best known for her role in Shirley Valentine, passed away peacefully at her care home in Highgate, North London, surrounded by family after battling Parkinson’s disease for several years.
An Emotional Chapter in Her Memoir
In her 1992 memoir Letter to Louise, Collins revealed the difficult circumstances that led to her decision. At 22, while working as an actress in Ireland, she became pregnant and decided to place her daughter, Louise, for adoption. She kept the decision private for years, even from close friends and family.
"I had her adopted when she was six weeks old," wrote Collins. "It was the most awful thing ever to do."
Reasons Behind Her Painful Choice
Raised in a devout Catholic family in Wallasey, Cheshire, and of Irish descent, Collins described the pressures she faced at the time. She explained that her parents, both teachers at Catholic schools, would have struggled with the situation. Financial hardship also played a major role in her choice.
"It's extraordinary how you make these decisions in life. I thought my reasons for doing so were good," she reflected. "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."
Later in life, Collins was reunited with her daughter, closing a deeply emotional chapter that had shaped much of her early adulthood.
Author’s Summary: Pauline Collins described giving up her newborn daughter for adoption as the most heartbreaking decision in her life, one driven by love, faith, and circumstance.