Shane MacGowan's wife has given a new update on his health after sharing a picture of him in a hospital bed earlier this week.
The 65-year-old Pogues frontman is believed to have been in intensive care for the past few months after he was diagnosed with viral encephalitis last year.
Viral encephalitis is a serious condition where the brain becomes inflamed. It can be life-threatening and requires urgent treatment in hospital.
Taking to social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, his wife, Irish journalist Victoria Mary Clarke, told her followers on Friday that MacGowan was "feeling much better".
She also said she was "so grateful to everyone who is willing him to get home for Christmas".
It came after Clarke, who tied the knot with MacGowan in 2018 after more than 32 years together, said in an Instagram post on Saturday that she was "facing terrifying fears of loss".
She 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."
Adding: "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."
Meanwhile, bookmakers have slashed odds on The Pogues' 1988 festive favourite Fairytale of New York becoming this year's Christmas Number One following MacGowan's ailing health.
It faces stiff competition however from LadBaby's cover of Do They Know It’s Christmas with five Christmas Number Ones already under his belt.
A spokesperson for Oddschecker told The Standard: “The latest odds suggest it is a two-horse race between LadBaby and The Pogues to win this year’s Christmas Number One.
Having been as large as 20/1 last week, ‘Fairytale of New York’ is now the odds-on favourite to win the Pogues their first Christmas Number One. The Pogues have completely dominated the betting market this week, taking 89% of all bets placed through Oddschecker.”
