Shane MacGowan's wife thanks fans for support amid "terrifying fears of loss" for The Pogues icon

15 November 2023, 12:26 | Updated: 22 November 2023, 14:30

Victoria Mary Clarke has shared an update with fans about the The Pogues icon after his bandmates visited him in hospital.

Shane MacGowan's wife Victoria Mary Clarke has shared an update on The Pogues legend's health.

The Fairytale of New York star has been in hospital and fans have been sharing their prayers and well-wishes for the musician, while his own bandmates Peter Richard 'Spider" Stacy and Terry Woods have also vistied him.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter) to share a photo of the Irish legend, Clarke wrote: "I just wanted to say a massive thanks to everyone who has been messaging me and ⁦@ShaneMacGowan⁩ and thank you ⁦@spiderstacy⁩ and Terry Woods for coming to visit him".

She added: "love and prayers for everyone who is struggling right now [...] hang in there!"

The message came shortly after Clarke shared a heartfelt post on Instagram, which described her spectrum of emotions and feelings for her husband.

Sharing a photo of her kissing MacGowan in his hospital bed: "Love is the most beautiful and powerful thing that we can experience as humans but love can also feel painful especially if you are afraid of losing a person or anything else that you love.

"A lot of the time that thing we call love can more accurately be described as attachment or desire or need or longing or closeness or connection," she continued. "And all of these are totally valuable and human and we need to acknowledge and appreciate and accept every part of our experience."

She added: "But sometimes when you love very deeply you will find yourself facing terrifying fears of loss that can feel so big and devastating that you don’t know how you can survive them and you can’t imagine life without this person that you love.

"It’s in these moments when you are staring into the abyss that you have an opportunity to expand your consciousness beyond the limitations of your mind."

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A post shared by Victoria Mary Clarke Angels (@victoriamaryclarke)

The 65 year-old rocker, who celebrates his birthday on Christmas Day, has faced a number of health issues and suffers with encephalitis- a rare brain condition which causes the brain to swell and can lead to difficulty with speech and loss of movement.

Before his most recent hospitalisation, he was visited at home by Bruce Springsteen earlier this year.

Taking to Twitter after the encounter, Clarke wrote:"What an amazing honour and a beautiful experience to get a visit from The Boss!!!"

She added: "Such a truly wonderful man and a total genius!"

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