Witty, loving, courageous, and a testament to women out there, the screenplay by Willy Russell, which went from stage to screen in the late eighties, reminded many women out there that life doesn't end when you hit your forties.
Pauline, who embodied this character and made it her own, was able to convey not only romance and excitement in Shirley but also heartache, something she had experienced at a young age.
For Pauline, acting was not her first career choice. She began as a teacher, but when she took to the stage in the early sixties, she realised where her heart lay.
Most actors will tell you that when you are starting, money can be tight, and in 1964, at the age of 23, she found herself penniless and pregnant.
She had been working and travelling in Ireland, performing and had met Irish actor Tony Rohr, who you may recognise from the movies "Leap Year", "The Nephew" and the TV series "Prime Suspect" with Helen Mirren.
When their relationship ended, she soon found out that she was pregnant but was not in a position to raise a child.
Pauline Collins as Shirley Valentine.
The mum-to-be found herself returning to London and entering a mother and baby home for unmarried mothers. She would place her daughter, Louise, up for adoption shortly after she was born.
This was something that would forever plague the young actress throughout her life, and while she went on to marry actor John Alderton, with whom she had three children, Louise was always at the back of her mind.
In the late eighties, 22 years after giving her up for adoption, Louise tracked Pauline down and they formed a bond that lasted until her death in November 2025.
A few years later, Pauline released a book called "Letter to Louise", an account of her life and the day she handed Louise over to a new family.
Back then, she said: "In the end, I could only take responsibility for our lives, yours and mine."
Pauline, whose characters made so many people laugh, had been living with Parkinson's disease for many years but always had the support of her friends and family around her.
Following her death, a statement was released by her family. It read: "Pauline was so many things to so many people, playing a variety of roles in her life. A bright, sparky, witty presence on stage and screen. Her illustrious career saw her play politicians, mothers and queens.
"She will always be remembered as the iconic, strong-willed, vivacious and wise Shirley Valentine - a role that she made all her own. We were familiar with all those parts of her because her magic was contained in each one of them."
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