Victoria Mary Clarke, Shane MacGowan’s widow, says she ‘went through hell at times’ with The Pogues singer, saying: ‘I always wondered, ‘Will he die?’
Shane MacGowan’s widow has opened up about her ‘never predictable’ jet-set life with The Pogues star, just days after he was laid to rest in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, last week.
Appearing on Woman’s Hour on Friday morning, Victoria Mary Clarke, 57, who met and fell in love with the singer when she was just 16, opened up about their nearly four decades together and said she “communicated with angels” to help her cope with the loss.
MacGowan, who would have turned 65 on Christmas Day, died in Dublin last month after a long period of ill health.
The Irish journalist told Radio 4’s Anita Rani that she was left ‘shaky and dazed’ after the adrenaline of organizing her husband’s funeral, and also told how his long battle with drink and drugs left her worried throughout their relationship that he could overdose, have an accident, or die.
Shane McGowan’s wife Victoria Mary Clarke, 57, pictured at his funeral last week at St Mary’s of the Rosary Church in Nenagh, County Tipperary; the Irish journalist appeared on Woman’s Hour on Friday and spoke about her long love affair with singer The Pogues
The couple pictured in 2007; she told Woman’s Hour presenter Anita Rani that life with the singer as a lyricist was ‘never predictable’, saying: ‘I always wondered: Will he overdose? Will he be arrested? Will he have a nasty accident? Will he die?’
Clarke joked that it was like having a “four-year-old with a credit card and a car,” and said life with the singer was “dramatic, like being in a soap opera, but with the volume turned up.” It was really intense.’
She continued, “I always wondered, is he going to overdose? Will he be arrested? Will he have a nasty accident? Will he die?’
The writer also opened up about her own struggles, saying she sometimes went ‘through hell’, wanted to kill herself and ended up in the Priory after taking drugs, including heroin.
Clarke opened up about the early days of their romance, including how she fell in love with the singer in her teens, saying the “unusual looking” star had a “Jimi Hendrix attitude” and that his first line to her was: “Buy a drink for my friend, it’s his birthday’.
Clarke said she still felt “a real, genuine bond” with her late husband after his death on November 30
The couple were together for almost 40 years and Clarke says she was immediately attracted to the singer when she met him as a teenager.
Speaking about the loss, she said: ‘Shane is still very much with me, I really feel him, I feel a real, genuine connection.’
Clarke told Rani that she has had therapy and support throughout her life, turning to Buddhist meditation, yoga and the technique of channeling to help her cope with the pain of MacGowan’s death, saying: ‘I have to let my angels know give honor. I spend a lot of time meditating and communicating with angels.’
Earlier this week, Clarke took to Instagram to thank his fans for their “beautiful messages and support.”
His funeral was seen on television by millions of people around the world and during his church service hundreds of people were left out with standing room only after thousands lined the route of his coffin in Dublin and Nenagh.
Clarke admitted that she “feels very connected” to her late husband and said his “funeral was magical.”
Alongside a photo of the couple, she wrote: ‘I just wanted to thank you for so many wonderful expressions of support.
Shane, who would have turned 65 on Christmas Day, died in Dublin last month and his funeral service was in Nenagh, Co., last week. Tipperary (photo in 2012)
“I know you all have plenty of problems and challenges to think about, and you are all so generous, kind, thoughtful and compassionate, and I am so grateful to you.
‘Take a moment to appreciate yourself!!! Sharing love❤️ in this world is the most beautiful thing you can do and the most valuable.
‘I also want you to know that you really don’t have to be sad for me because @shanemacgowanofficial is still very much with me at every moment and I feel very connected to him and I feel enormous love ❤️ and encouragement from him and I feel his sense of humor and his pure joy and presence as if he is truly a part of me and he will never leave me because he is in my heart ❤️
“I love that so many of you are celebrating his music and his life and his warmth and compassion and grace and beauty, and it’s powerful to see.”
She concluded the post: ‘There are many people I would like to thank individually for making his funeral so special and magical and I will probably do it for a long time!!!! Bless everyone everywhere, always ❤️
Fans quickly rushed to the comments to praise Victoria for her ‘inspirational words’, with one saying: ‘What an amazing lady you are’.
‘This is wonderful to read. Shane is definitely with you. Thank you and Merry Christmas’.
‘Awwww, so nice to read this. Soooo much love beautiful lady. What an incredible photo too.’
Victoria, 57, admitted that she ‘feels very connected’ to her late husband and that his ‘funeral was so special and magical’
Fans quickly rushed to the comments to praise Victoria for her ‘inspirational words’, with one saying: ‘What an amazing lady you are’
“Such beautiful and inspiring words, Victoria,” another added.
‘What a beautiful picture. Sending so much love and hugs and lights your way,” said a fifth.
Victoria recently revealed that The Pogues frontman passed away ‘peacefully’ in the early hours of November 30 after battling a brain condition for eight years.
Shane had been battling viral encephalitis and was released from hospital earlier in November. Victoria confirmed his cause of death as pneumonia.
Stars including Johnny Depp, Primal Scream’s Bobby Gillespie and Shane’s bandmates came together to toast the beloved musician, with around 250 people believed to have attended the ‘official’ wake.
According to reports, Shane’s dying wish was for mourners to enjoy a pint of his at his funeral, with a whopping £10,000 put behind the bar of his favorite pub.
It was said that attendees needed a pass for the VIP-only gathering, which took place hours after the Fairytale of New York singer’s star-studded funeral at nearby St Mary’s of the Rosary Church.
The funeral service was attended by celebrities including Nick Cave, Bob Geldof and Depp, who read prayers along with Hothouse Flowers frontman Liam O’Maonlai.
A long funeral procession saw tens of thousands of people walk through the streets as the funeral procession traveled from Dublin to Tipperary, where Shane grew up.
MacGowan’s coffin was then brought to the front of the church, draped in an Irish tricolor flag and placed close to a large black and white photo of the Pogues singer.
The Pogues frontman died ‘peacefully’ in the early hours of November 30 (pictured in 2023)
It comes after Victoria said she feared losing her husband for 35 years and thought she would die herself if the worst happened (pictured together in 2007)
It comes after Victoria recently revealed the grief is ‘not as bad’ as she expected following Shane’s death.
In an interview with Good Morning Britain, Victoria – who married the singer in 2018 – said she had been worried about Shane’s death for decades.
But now that the unfortunate time has come, Victoria explains that the outpouring of love and support she has received has helped her stay afloat.
“I worried about losing Shane for many years, probably at least 35 years, because he pushed so many boundaries with what people can do with their bodies,” she said.
‘I was afraid of that. I thought I was going to fall apart. I thought I was going to die, I thought I wouldn’t be able to talk anymore, I would fall into a coma or I would go on drugs, something like that.’
She went on to say that she was “overwhelmed by the amount of love” she received after her husband’s death.
“I want you all to know that it is so [losing a loved one] not as bad as you think it will be and there is a tremendous amount of love that comes your way when you lose someone you didn’t really expect.”