Shane MacGowan’s widow admits she 'spent 35 years worrying about his death'

Harry Hill has re-shared Shane MacGowan‘s festive cameo from the 2010 Christmas special of TV Burp. The late Pogues frontman appeared on the show to sing the Irish band’s Christmas classic ‘Fairytale Of New York’, but in a hilarious, quintessentially TV Burp twist, the performance ended up becoming a duet with a giant beluga whale who squeaked along in place of what would have been Kirsty MacColl‘s parts.Despite the audience being in hysterics, MacGowan plays it completely straight, carrying on with his performance as if it were nothing out of the ordinary.Hill has been posting to his Instagram account every day of December in a series of posts called ‘Mattvent’, where he shares a photo each day of a rogue mattress found in an odd place alongside old clips from TV Burp, which aired on Saturday nights between 2001 and 2012.Check out the clip of MacGowan’s appearance below:A post shared by Harry Hill (@mrharryhill)In a further Instagram post, Hill shared some extracts from his memoir Fight! where he recounted the experience of having MacGowan on the show.Hill had come up with the idea of MacGowan singing ‘Fairytale Of New York’ with a beluga whale played by a runner, but had been told by his producer Spencer that he was “having a laugh” and that there would be “no way he’s going to say yes to that!’”In the book, he wrote: “His agent explained to Spencer that Shane got a huge number of requests every Christmas to sing his Christmas hit and that he always turned them down.

Wham! taking the lead for the peak position on the charts.The news follows a neck-and-neck race between the iconic ‘80s pop duo Wham! And Eurovision star Sam Ryder over the past week, with their respective songs ‘Last Christmas’ [1986] and ‘You’re Christmas To Me’ [2023].At the first look at the race last week, just 42 chart units stood between the two taking the top spot on the UK charts, however, this week it has been revealed by the Official Charts that Wham! are in pole position, and have widened the gap between Ryder’s Amazon Music original track – which remains at Number Two.However, it doesn’t seem likely that the charts will stay this way until Christmas, with Ryder set to play a fan-exclusive gig tonight (December 19) in Shoreditch, London, in a push to promote the song in time for Christmas Day.Similarly, today (December 19) The Pogues are sharing a special, limited-edition physical run of their own iconic Christmas song ‘Fairytale Of New York’ in a push to climb the charts.Originally released in 1988 and featuring Kirsty MacColl, the track is being reissued in memory of the band’s late singer Shane MacGowan, who died “peacefully” in hospital from pneumonia on November 30. He was 65 years old and his funeral took place in Nenagh, County Tipperary on December 8.All proceeds from the reissue will be donated to the Irish charity Dublin Simon Community, and the release also arrived alongside a fan campaign to get Fairytale of New York to Christmas Number 1 for the first time.The push for the top position on the charts has also been endorsed by Shane MacGowan’s widow, Victoria Mary Clarke.

Ben Shephard, the popular ITV presenter, shared a lovely photo with his wife Annie while celebrating his 49th birthday in Richmond, south west London. He wrote: "Feeling very spoiled having had a lovely birthday with the family and from all your messages! Thank you!! "No idea where the time has gone or is going, but as you can see from the cards the family certainly aren't letting me age quietly!!" He also cleared up any confusion about his age, saying: "By the way don't be confused by my cards - I'm not 50 or 60 that's my boys winding me up! I'm still clinging onto my 49th year!!! #thegoodthebadandtheoldbugger." His friends and fans, including ITV colleague Lorraine Kelly, were quick to send him birthday wishes as she wrote: "Happy 21st you scrumptious, glorious, cute as a button angel child ." Susanna Reid commented: "Happy Birthday! How many ages are you today", while Gaby Roslin shared: "Happy Birthday to you wonderful good kind Ben, one of the loveliest people on the planet!".

Shane MacGowan's widow, Victoria Mary Clarke, has finally spoken out after a Catholic priest criticised the stars funeral, describing it as "completely inappropriate".

Ben Shephard distracted his Instagram followers after sharing a rare photo of his wife in celebration of his birthday.

Ben Shephard has taken to Instagram to share a rare selfie with his wife as he celebrates his birthday but fans are shocked to find out the presenter's real age.

The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale Of New York’ is set to be released on 7-inch vinyl for charity.Frontman Shane MacGowan was laid to rest on December 8 after he died from pneumonia in hospital, aged 65, on November 30. His family, friends and the band themselves are now releasing their Christmas classic single to raise money for charity.All proceeds from the sales will go to Dublin Simon Community – a charity supported by Shane and his widow Victoria Mary Clarke.According to a press statement, the release is also to “celebrate the man himself” by getting the song, which has never topped the charts, to Number One.The 7-inch single will come with ‘Fairytale Of New York’ on the A-side with an instrumental version of the track on the B-side.

Sam Ryder has admitted that he would “love” for The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’ to beat him to this year’s Christmas Number One spot.The Eurovision star is one of the competitors in this year’s race, with his single ‘You’re Christmas to Me’, taken from the film Your Christmas or Mine 2.However, since the news broke of the death of Shane MacGowan, fans of his festive classic are rallying to get that track to the Christmas Number One. It has never gone above second place in the UK charts, peaking there on its initial release in 1987.

Coleen Nolan has shared a positive update on her sister Linda's cancer battle, after doctors recently told her there is shrinkage on her tumours.The Loose Women star, 58, appeared on Good Morning Britain on Monday, 11 December, where she discussed her older sister Linda, 64, who was first diagnosed with incurable secondary breast cancer on her pelvis in 2017. In March, Linda sadly announced her cancer had spread to her brain.

The Pogues, covered ‘Fairytale of New York’ at Shane MacGowan’s funeral yesterday (December 8). Watch the video below.The Pogues frontman passed away “peacefully” on November 30, having died from pneumonia aged 65.

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor There was dancing in the aisles, Nick Cave singing “A Rainy Night in Soho” and Irish musicians Glen Hansard and Lisa O’Neill performing “Fairytale of New York” as mourners turned out Friday for the funeral of Shane MacGowan. Bono and Bob Geldof were also in attendance, while Johnny Depp was one of the pallbearers. The Pogues frontman and Irish punk rock icon, who died Nov.

Ben Shephard has made a sweet gesture to a Deal Or No Deal contestant who became emotional during an appearance on Good Morning Britain.

Ben Shephard has made a heartwarming gesture to the Deal or No Deal contestant who captured the nation’s hearts after winning just £5 on the show. Brad Wale appeared on the Stephen Mulhern-fronted game show last week, when he opened up on being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease - a life-limiting condition that affects the brain and nerves. His story struck a chord with viewers, particularly after he walked away from the ITV show with just £5.

Shane MacGowan‘s cause of death has been revealed after The Pogues frontman’s passing last week.The Irish singer-songwriter died from pneumonia in hospital, aged 65, on November 30, as shared by his wife Victoria Mary Clarke in The New York Times.He died “peacefully” and was surrounded by his family, while tributes have since poured in for the ‘Fairytale Of New York’ musician from the likes of Nick Cave and U2.Details around MacGowan’s death come after Clarke shared on social media that her husband was “so determined to live only a few days ago”.In another fresh tribute shared over the weekend, she wrote that “losing Shane has been the thing that I feared most for a very long time, almost since we first got together”.It’s so hard to believe that someone could be so vibrant and beautiful and so determined to live only a few days ago. But so many people are losing loved ones all over the world.

The wife of The Pogues singer Shane MacGowan has said the late singing icon was "so vibrant and beautiful and so determined to live only a few days ago" before his death at the age of 65.

Shane MacGowan‘s funeral have now been released.The lead singer of The Pogues died on November 30 aged 65, passing away peacefully surrounded by friends and family.Tributes have poured in from his family and the entertainment world. His wife Victoria Mary Clarke called him “the most beautiful soul”, whilst close friend Nick Cave said MacGowan was “the greatest songwriter of his generation”.

Ashley Cain has opened up about his feelings of guilt as he plans to welcome his second child, two years after tragically losing his daughter Azaylia to cancer.The former footballer turned TV star, 33, appeared on Good Morning Britain, where he discussed his feelings of guilt around this news, and how it's important to talk openly about loss. He began by opening up about feeling guilty over the news that he's expecting his second child, as he explained: "I felt slightly guilty, and I felt slightly hurt for Azaylia and I didn't really expect this to be the case.

The Pogues‘ Christmas hit ‘Fairytale of New York’ has re-entered the Top 40 following the news of frontman Shane MacGowan‘s death.On November 30, it was announced that MacGowan passed away peacefully surrounded by his family and friends. Since the news, fans have begun rallying to get the song to Number One.MacGowan’s wife Victoria Mary Clarke has now joined the campaign, saying she was “very much in favour” of the track topping the charts.

Shane MacGowan’s sister Siobhan has said that ‘Fairytale of New York’ “captured what Christmas was like for a lot of people”. Siobhan MacGowan was speaking about the song to Hot Press Magazine, where she said, “I thought it was absolutely amazing.

Shane MacGowan's cause of death has been revealed by his heartbroken widow after she announced the late singer's passing on Thursday, November 30.