‘I want to keep him alive as long as possible’: Shane MacGowan’s wife discusses his health as Pogues star, 64, admits he HATES that people still talk about Fairytale Of New York

Shane MacGowan’s wife has said she wants to keep him alive for as along as possible as the couple discussed his current health status. 

The Pogues singer, 64, is married to journalist Victoria Mary Clarke, 56, after they tied the knot in 2018 following an eleven-year engagement.  

Speaking to The Guardian in an awkward interview where Shane gave mostly monosyllabic answers, the musician said Victoria ‘lights up [his] life’ and also told how he doesn’t like that people still speak about his song Fairytale Of New York. 

Health: Shane MacGowan’s wife Victoria Mary Clarke has said she wants to keep him alive for as along as possible as the couple discussed his current health status 

Victoria said: ‘I definitely want to help him to stay alive for as long as possible.’ 

The couple live together in Dublin where a carer also comes to help look after Shane, who uses a wheelchair and needs to be helped out of bed.

The star fell and broke his pelvis in 2016 and later fell and broke his knee and then ended up tearing ligaments in his left knee, injuries from which he has never fully recovered. 

Shane, who has previously abused drink and drugs, was asked during the interview if he has any regrets about the way he has lived his life, to which he said: ‘Of course!’

Career: The star also briefly discussed his long career in music and told how he doesn’t like the fact his beloved song Fairytale Of New York is still frequently played and discussed today, decades after its release in 1987 (pictured with Kirsty MacColl in 1987)

The star also briefly discussed his long career in music and told how he doesn’t like the fact his beloved song Fairytale Of New York is still frequently played and discussed today, decades after its release in 1987. 

‘It p****s me off when people always talk about it,’ he said. When asked why, he replied: ‘Cos. Cos it just p****s me off, all right?’

Shane added that he has a few favourite songs by The Pogues, but their Christmas anthem is not one of them. He declined to name any of his favourites.

The musician, who hates being interviewed, said he enjoys his life, with Victoria adding that she sometimes doesn’t.

Asked if she has ever not wanted to live, Victoria said: ‘Yes, quite a lot of the time. But Shane never seems to want not to live. That’s what’s weird.’ 

Couple: Victoria and Shane, who married in 2018, live together in Dublin where a carer also comes to help look after Shane, who uses a wheelchair and needs to be helped out of bed

Elsewhere during the interview, Victoria said she and Shane never had children together because they were too irresponsible.

She added that she was always worried the musician would burn the house down because he was always dropping his cigarettes.

Shane has suffered physically from years of binge drinking and would often perform on stage drunk.

In 2015 he got his teeth fixed after losing his final original tooth in 2009.

He began drinking at the tender age of five, when his family gave him Guinness to help him sleep, and his father frequently took him to the local pub while he drank with his friends. 

Struggles: Shane has suffered physically from years of binge drinking and would often perform on stage drunk (Shane pictured far left with The Pogues in 1984)

Victoria announced in 2016 that Shane was sober for the ‘first time in several years’ and explained how his drinking problem stemmed from years of ‘singing in bars and clubs where people go to drink and have fun’.

She claimed Shane’s spiral into alcohol addiction happened due to the introduction of hard drugs, such as heroin.

Victoria said the singer became sober after a length stay in hospital when he was suffering from pneumonia and a hip injury, and Shane continued his sobriety journey when he returned home.

The couple’s close friend Johnny Depp has produced the film Crock of Gold, which looks back the musician’s eventful life – from his childhood in Ireland with big dreams of pursuing a career in music, to moving to London when he was 13 before becoming an icon. 

Addiction: Victoria announced in 2016 that Shane was sober for the ‘first time in several years’ and explained how his drinking problem stemmed from years of ‘singing in bars and clubs where people go to drink and have fun’ (pictured with The Pogues)

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