Shane MacGowan is hoping to spend Christmas at home as his beloved wife Victoria Mary has revealed the Pogues rocker has to stay in hospital for two weeks.
The Fairytale Of New York hit-maker, 64, was rushed to hospital last week after falling ill with shingles and Shane has been fighting a nasty infection, with doctors being 'confident he will be ok'.
The legendary singer - who is set to celebrate his 65th birthday on Christmas Day - is being treated for viral encephalitis, the uncommon yet serious condition in which the brain becomes swollen.
After Victoria realised that the infection had spread to his eye, she called for help last week, and Shane was immediately rushed to hospital.
“I noticed it on his face. His eye was getting red and began to close over. I called the doctor and the doctor said it was very dangerous so we had to get him to the hospital straight away,” she told The Sunday Independent.
"The hospital explained to me that shingles can go into your brain and that’s what happened to Shane so now they want to keep him in on a drip for two weeks."
Further tests on Shane confirmed encephalitis, which when left untreated can lead to death in one in 10 patients.
Thankfully, the singer appears to be on the mend, and Victoria is hoping that Shane will be out of hospital by Christmas, so the pair can celebrate both his birthday and the festive season together.
Victoria shared her frustrations over Shane being hospitalised as she said: "It’s not so much of a challenge to stay positive and connected with your angels when life is going well and things are fun but when the s*** hits the fan and you are challenged by illness or anything that disrupts your ease it’s not going to be smooth sailing.
"Shane is in hospital now and I have been feeling the full range of feelings including desperate and hopeless and overwhelmed and anxious, and everything else that a human feels.
"But even if we collapse in a heap and cry our eyes out - there is always a part of us that knows that everything is going to work out and be ok."
The Fairytale Of New York hit-maker has been in and out of hospital for medical care in recent years.
Taking to Twitter last week, Shane's wife Victoria shared the news of his hospital dash with a picture of the music legend smiling.
"Please send prayers and healing vibes to @ShaneMacGowan in hospital again and really hoping to get out asap!! Thank you," Shane's concerned wife penned.
Shane, who has used a wheelchair since he broke his pelvis in 2015, beamed in the sweet snap shared by his wife as fans rushed to send their well wishes.
The next day, she provided an update on his health.
Victoria wrote on Twitter: "I just wanted to thank everyone who has been sending good wishes for @ShaneMacGowan.
"He is being treated for an infection and the doctors are confident that he will be ok. I am just incredibly grateful to them and to all of you."
Shane and Victoria have been together for more than 35 years. They had an 11-year engagement before finally marrying.
The couple tied the knot at Copenhagen City Hall in Denmark back in 2018.
Their special day was attended by their close friend Johnny Depp, who sang at the wedding.
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