I worried about losing Shane for 35 years.. Hed pushed the boundaries

POGUES STAR MacGOWAN'S WIDOW VICTORIA YESTERDAY

- NICOLA METHVEN

SHANE MacGowan's widow admits she worried about his declining health for the past 35 years.

The Pogues frontman, best known for Christmas classic Fairytale of New York, died last week at the age of 65.

He had been diagnosed with encephalitis, which is swelling of the brain, after years of alcohol and substance abuse.

Now Victoria Mary Clarke, who married Shane in 2018 after a decadeslong relationship, says she had got used to worrying about losing her husband.

She explained: "The biggest fear you probably have is that you're going to lose a loved one. And it's going to happen, you can't really get around that.

"I know that, for me, I spent many, many years, probably at least 35 years, worrying about losing Shane because he pushed the boundaries so much of what humans can do to their bodies. So I dreaded that, and I thought that I would fall apart.