Shane MacGowan’s widow Victoria recalls drug-addled rocker setting fire to hotel rooms – while they were in them – catching him in bed with groupies and finding someone dead in their living room

Two weeks after The Pogues’ rocker Shane MacGowan died following a long health battle in hospital, his widow Victoria Mary Clarke has spoken about their wild life. 

In an interview with the Guardian’s G2, she discussed his battle with addictions and recalled how he would set fire to hotel rooms… sometimes while they were in them. 

She would punch him and dump him after finding him in bed with groupies and said she isn’t surprised someone once died in her living room following an overdose. 

Journalist Victoria, 57, said: ‘He set fire to hotel rooms that we stayed in – while we were in them, because of the acid. We were very much living on the edge of destruction.’ 

And talking about finding him in bed with groupies, she admitted: ‘I would punch him and run out and say: “Right, that’s it, I’m never coming back!” But then I’d get my own flat and just wouldn’t be able to stay away.’ 

Shane MacGowan’s widow Victoria recalled drug-addled rocker setting fire to hotel rooms – while they were in them – catching him in bed with groupies and finding someone dead in their living room – (pictured together in 1999)

When asked about the time someone overdosed and died on their living room floor, she was fairly breezy, saying: ‘Oh there’s been plenty of that kind of stuff’ (pictured together in 2007)

When asked about the time someone overdosed and died on their living room floor, she was fairly breezy. 

She said: ‘Oh there’s been plenty of that kind of stuff. That wouldn’t have been the only one.  Plenty of people dying all the time. There seemed to be an inevitability about that. And Shane always seemed to be the only one who was destined to survive. 

Shane, who would have been aged 65 on Christmas Day, died in Dublin last month and his funeral service took place in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary almost a fortnight ago. 

His funeral was seen by millions on television across the world and his church service saw hundreds of people locked out with standing room only after thousands lined the route of his casket in Dublin and Nenagh. 

The Pogues frontman passed away ‘peacefully’ in the early hours of the morning on November 30 after battling a brain condition for eight years. 

He 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 gathered to toast the beloved musician, with around 250 people thought to have attended the ‘official’ wake.

The couple met in a north London pub when she was aged 16 and they soon started hanging out and she would go to The Pogues gigs.

The Pogues frontman passed away ‘peacefully’ in the early hours of the morning on November 30 (pictured in 2023)

The Pogues frontman died aged 65 from pneumonia on November 30 after months of ill health (pictured in 2014)

A picture of late Irish singer Shane is displayed on the day of his funeral procession, in Tipperary, Ireland

Victoria has responded to criticism of the star’s funeral, by sharing a sweet post lauding the ‘magical’ event 

She admitted she always wanted to reform the rocker, but it was simply not to be. She would organise a dinner party and ‘someone would fall off the roof.’ 

But she says that amid all the chaos, Shane was always very sweet to her and would buy her flowers and would always tell her how lucky he was to be with her. 

She said they ‘never argued’ but admitted the pair faced their own personal demons. Around 20 years ago, he checked into rehab for his heroin problems and she was ‘properly suicidal.’ 

And it was around this time that she contacted angels in order to get some positive guidance in her life. 

She believes that these celestial beings are a positive force and Victoria is convinced that Shane is able to communicate with her from the spirit world. 

This is helping her with her grief and she says that she feels Shane’s presence is still very much with her. 

In an interview with Good Morning Britain last week, Victoria – who wed the singer in 2018 – shared that she spent decades worrying about Shane passing away.

However, now the unfortunate time is upon her, Victoria explained the abundance of love and support she has received has helped her manage.

‘I spent many many years, probably at least 35 years worried about losing Shane as he pushed boundaries so much with what humans can do to their body,’ she said.

‘I dreaded that. I thought that I would fall apart. I thought I’d die, I thought I’d not be able to speak, comatosed or go on drugs myself – something like that.’

She continued that she has been ‘overwhelmed by the amount of love’ she received following her husband’s death.

‘I want you all to know it’s [losing a loved one] not as bad as you think it’s going to be and there’s a huge amount of love that comes your way when you lose someone that you didn’t really expect.’

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