Gary Numan says meeting his wife through his fanclub would be “illegal now”
Gary Numan has discussed his marriage to his wife Gemma O’Neill and said how they met “may be illegal” now.
The couple, who married in 1997 and share three children, met when O’Neill was a paid-up member of his official fan club, which led to Numan becoming familiar with her after seeing her in the crowd at numerous concerts.
In a new interview with The Times, Numan revealed that O’Neill once told a careers advisor at school that one day, “I’m going to marry Gary Numan,” which became a reality many years later.
They first met at a meet-and-greet when she was 12, which Numan, who was then 22, has no memory of happening, but crossed paths again six years later when they had a photo together in 1986.
From that point, O’Neill was one of Numan’s most devoted fans, who would travel all over to see his shows. In the new interview, Numan shared, “That’s how I attracted her, which I think is illegal now.”
However, following the unexpected loss of her mother, O’Neill stopped attending concerts which led to Numan getting her details from his fan club and phoning her, noting, “Which again may be illegal,” before revealing what he said on the call, “‘Hello, it’s me,’ and she put the phone down — she thought it was somebody playing a cruel trick.”
He then phoned her back, which led to O’Neill interrogating him about his career to prove he was really Gary Numan before agreeing to go for dinner and accompany him to a radio interview, adding, “I took her to a Little Chef because I’m very down to earth. I don’t do all that flash, rich man, pop star stuff.”
Per The Independent, they did not begin their relationship until the 1990s, when O’Neill was in her 20s and later wed in 1997.
This summer, Numan has a busy touring schedule ahead, including a huge date at Crystal Palace Bowl in London in August, as well as shows in Glasgow, Halifax, Northampton, Bournemouth and Norwich.
Then, in November, Numan will head to the East Coast of America for a run of headline shows, before resuming his touring activities in Australia next February.
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