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LOVE GOES ON

Wife of Shane MacGowan says he ‘put up a really strong fight’ as she describes final moments surrounded by friends

"We tend to just be in the moment. So we'll be enjoying what we're doing."

THE widow of Shane MacGowen, Victoria Mary Clarke, has described how the music legend put up "a really strong fight" in the last moments they spent together before he passed away on Thursday aged 65.

The Pogues frontman had been receiving treatment at St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin when he was discharged on November 22 and returned home to spend time with his friends and family.

The widow of Shane MacGowen, Victoria Mary Clarke, has described how the music legend put up 'a really strong fight'
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The widow of Shane MacGowen, Victoria Mary Clarke, has described how the music legend put up 'a really strong fight'Credit: Social Media Collect
Asked how she has remained so strong after the tragic loss of the FairyTale of New York singer, Victoria said she focuses on the 'absolutely brilliant' life they shared
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Asked how she has remained so strong after the tragic loss of the FairyTale of New York singer, Victoria said she focuses on the 'absolutely brilliant' life they sharedCredit: Alamy
The Pogues frontman had been receiving treatment at St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin
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The Pogues frontman had been receiving treatment at St Vincent's Hospital in Dublin

Victoria Mary told The Brendan O'Connor Show on RTÉ Radio 1: "He was trying very hard to breathe.

"He wasn't ready to give up. He wasn't ready to stop fighting - but his body did it for him."

She described how being told by doctors that Shane's life was coming to an end was a "massive shock".

Victoria said: "I actually thought I was going to die myself when I heard.

"He always pulled through. He always did."

Asked how she has remained so strong after the tragic loss of the FairyTale of New York singer, Victoria said she focuses on the "absolutely brilliant" life they shared.

"A lot of people are in this situation whether they like it or not, whether they know it or not sometimes," she said.

"You know, you might have your husband or your wife be diagnosed with something, and it can be something terminal or something, you know, horrible, and it's a tremendously distressing and lonely place to be. 

"And you are staring down the abyss, and you know the abyss is coming, like when is it coming? So you try to prepare, but you can't really because no part of you wants to let go of them.

"You're kind of grieving all the time until it actually happens.

"Then it's like now it's exploded and now you are faced with what are you actually going to feel, because up until then you've only been guessing and preparing for what you thought you might feel."

She added: "I realised that you can feel a tremendous amount of love still without that physical person there because you've got so much kind of built up, it's like a reserve.

"It's easy to feel sorry for yourself, and it's just as easy to feel glad for yourself, and it's just as easy to celebrate and think, wow, this is amazing.

'IN THE MOMENT'

"It's like you've been on a holiday, and the holiday is amazing. You don't come back thinking 'Aw it's terrible that we've lost that holiday now that's in the past,' you go 'Wow, wasn't that a great holiday.'

"You kind of have to look at it like that."

Listeners praised Victoria for her positive attitude as she said: "We got to do so many things, to go everywhere in the world. We met so many people just absolutely brilliant."

She said herself and Shane didn't tend to look back as she described enjoying a night in watching the television with Friends the night before Shane passed away.

"We tend to just be in the moment. So we'll be enjoying what we're doing.

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"A couple of nights ago, probably the night before he died, we had Aidan Gillen and Camille and our friend Brian in the room, and we just all sat around and watched TV and just really had a laugh.

"It was quite fun, and that's what it's all about. Having fun in the moment where you are and not looking back and thinking I wish, I wish, I wish. There's no point."

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