Shane MacGowan’s wife thanks fans for support as Pogues star remains in hospital

Journalist Victoria Mary Clarke, who married MacGowan in 2018, thanked fans for their ‘love and prayers’

Shane MacGowan’s wife, Victoria Mary Clarke, has thanked The Pogues star’s fans as he continues to receive hospital care.

The Irish singer was pictured lying in bed wearing a medical gown with Clarke by his side, in a photo shared on her Twitter account.

On Monday (24 July) she told the Irish Sunday Mirror that MacGowan was out of intensive care and “doing well”. She did not specify the health issue he was suffering from.

“I just wanted to thank everyone who is sending love and prayers for Shane MacGowan,” she tweeted on Monday evening.

“We really appreciate it and bless all of you and anyone anywhere who is having health challenges!”

Clarke, a journalist and artist, also tagged the official Pogues Twitter account in her post.

MacGowan has used a wheelchair since 2015, after injuring himself in a fall, and was previously rushed to hospital in December last year with an infection.

Clarke later announced that the singer had been diagnosed with encephalitis, an uncommon condition that causes the brain to swell and can be life-threatening.

Those with serious cases can be left with problems such as seizures, hearing loss, and blindness.

The singer is best known as the frontman for Irish band The Pogues, who rose to fame in the Eighties and scored a hit song with “Fairytale of New York”, a collaboration with the late Kirsty McColl. The track is one of the most popular Christmas songs in the UK of all time.

MacGowan married Clarke, a journalist, in a small ceremony in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 2018. Among the guests in attendance was Hollywood actor Johnny Depp, a longtime friend of MacGowan’s.

In June, Clarke disclosed MacGowan’s recent health issues with her followers, remarking on the “huge amount” of love and support she had received.

“There has been a lot of turbulence in my life recently and it’s been very emotional and also scary,” she wrote in an Instagram post.

“But this past few days I have noticed that even though there’s a LOT of fear there is also a huge amount of love and support and incredible blessings. I think that our minds can be VERY resistant to change and to having our lives shaken up and rearranged and we need to be very gentle and patient with ourselves…

“It's a challenge to stay present with your feelings. Thank you to everyone who has been supporting me and @shanemacgowanofficial.”