Shane MacGowan’s wife thanks well-wishers as The Pogues frontman is pictured in hospital bed
The wife of The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan has sent “love and prayers” to those “struggling” as she posted a photo of the Fairytale Of New York singer in hospital.
Victoria Mary Clarke thanked well-wishers on X, formerly Twitter, and revealed the singer’s bandmates Spider Stacy and Terry Woods had visited him recently.
The Irish journalist wrote: “Love and prayers for everyone who is struggling right now ❤️ hang in there!”
MacGowan, 65, is believed to have been in intensive care for the past few months and was in a hospital bed with a breathing apparatus in the new picture.
He had been diagnosed with viral encephalitis last year.
Pic: AP
Encephalitis is a serious condition where the brain becomes inflamed. It can be life-threatening and requires urgent treatment in hospital.
Ms Clarke said in an Instagram post on Saturday that she was “facing terrifying fears of loss”.
The 57-year-old wrote: “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.
“The really really big challenge that we all face is to go beyond what our minds think are the limits of love and what love really is.”
Shane MacGowan and Victoria Mary Clarke in 2007. Pic: Richard Young/Shutterstock
She added: “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 discover more of who you really are and more of who your soul really is and more of your connection with this person who you love.”
The couple married in 2018 at Copenhagen City Hall in Denmark after more than 32 years together.
MacGowan has faced other health troubles in recent years – he broke his pelvis in 2015 and has used a wheelchair since.
In 2021 he broke his knee in a fall before tearing ligaments in his left leg.
He never fully recovered from his injuries and confirmed in April that he “can’t walk anymore”.
The Pogues in the 1980s Pic: Everett/Shutterstock
MacGowan has also been open about his battle with addiction.
In 2015, he received a full set of teeth implants as his real teeth were destroyed by decades of drinking and drug use.
The FA has launched an investigation into allegations that suspended Premier League referee David Coote discussed giving a yellow card ahead of a match.
Mr Coote booked Leeds player Ezgjan Alioski during a match against West Brom in October 2019.
The Sun claims that the day before, he discussed carding the player with a Leeds fan he had met online, then after the game messaged him saying: “I hope you backed as discussed.”
Mr Coote insists nothing improper took place.
He said in a statement: “I strongly refute these false and defamatory allegations.
“Whatever issues I may have had in my personal life they have never affected my decision-making on the field.
“I have always held the integrity of the game in the highest regard, refereeing matches impartially and to the best of my ability.”
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The previous comments Coote made about Liverpool
An investigation has now been opened to get to the bottom of the claims surrounding the already-suspended referee.
Previously, a video emerged showing Mr Coote snorting a white powder.
That came after another video showed Mr Coote in a foul-mouthed rant about Liverpool FC and their then-boss Jurgen Klopp.
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After the most recent allegations, a spokesperson for Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (PGMOL) told Sky Sports News: “The facts need to be established in light of these very serious allegations.
“We adopt a zero-tolerance approach to any breach of our Integrity Code of Conduct, which is signed by all match officials on an annual basis.
“PGMOL Board is committed to taking the appropriate action should any breach of that Code be proven.
“David Coote remains suspended and subject to an ongoing disciplinary process by PGMOL, separate to the investigation into this matter which will be carried out independently by The FA.”
It added: “We will be making no further comment at this stage.”
Davina McCall has said she is feeling “stronger and stronger” every day after having brain tumour surgery.
In an update posted to Instagram, the TV presenter emphasised the importance of sleep during her recovery after having a benign brain tumour, known as a colloid cyst, removed.
Sporting a bruised left eye, McCall said she is being “brilliantly” looked after by her boyfriend, hairdresser Michael Douglas, and stepmum Gabby and is “just trying to sleep a lot” and “get better”.
Earlier this week, the star said she was suffering with short-term memory problems, due to the operation. But on Wednesday, she said that her memory is now “improving”.
“My short-term memory is really improving a lot every day,” she said, adding: “It has been an example to me of how much sleep helps me recover from everything.
Pic: Instagram/Davina McCall
“If I feel a bit confused or I’m struggling to concentrate, I just got to sleep, and I wake up just completely renewed and refreshed.
“I know that my brain needs lots of sleep.”
The 57-year-old ended the update by thanking fans for their “ongoing support”.
‘Out of the woods’
Speaking during a livestream on Tuesday, McCall’s partner Douglas said the star is “definitely out of the woods” during her recovery.
McCall with her partner Michael Douglas and her daughter Holly Robertson. Pic: PA
“She’s quite tired at the moment. She sleeps really well at night and goes to bed at 10pm and has a nap in the morning, and sleeps for two or three hours in the afternoon,” he said.
He added that the presenter is off work until mid-January and has “a lot of time to relax and recuperate”.
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Douglas told fans: “It’s been a very, very emotional and quite an incredible experience. We’re definitely out of the woods.”
McCall rose to fame presenting on MTV in the mid-1990s, and later on Channel 4’s Streetmate, before becoming a household name as the host of Big Brother from 2000 to 2010.
She has lived with Douglas since 2022, and together they present a weekly lifestyle podcast called Making The Cut.
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