Victoria Mary Clarke and Shane MacGowan first set eyes on each other in a North London pub back in 1984 and the rest, as they say, is history.

Victoria was sixteen-years-old at the time enjoying a night out with her flat-mate when she had a chance meeting with The Pogues singer, and 36 years later the pair are more in love than ever.

Despite being instantly drawn to his appearance, Victoria says it wasn't love at first sight, but she truly believes she and Shane are soulmates and were destined to come together:

READ MORE: Victoria Mary Clarke gives glimpse into wedding to The Pogues singer Shane MacGowan after 32 years

"I was out in a very ordinary middle class, conservative kind of a pub in a very ordinary neighbourhood and Shane came in with his band-mate Spider from The Pogues, who I already knew because he lived nearby and we had mutual friends" Victoria told us.

"They both looked completely extraordinary, dressed in black suits with white shirts, but Shane really stood out. He was tall and skinny with huge blue eyes, and jug ears that stuck out and very broken teeth and he was almost luminously pale. He came striding over to me and said ‘It’s Spider’s birthday, buy him a drink. And me, too'."

"I was immediately both astounded and indignant and I told him to F off! He laughed and I found myself staring at him for the rest of the night, mesmerised by his arrogance and his charisma, and wondering if I would see him again.

Shane MacGowan with Victoria Mary Clarke (Photo by Dave Benett/Getty Images)

"I don’t know if it was love at first sight, possibly for him! But I was very intrigued and it was difficult to get him out of my head. What made me fall in love with him was watching him sing, he was such an incredible mixture of raw emotion and vulnerability, talent, charisma and beauty.

"For our first date, we went to the 100 Club on Oxford Street, they had brilliant Northern Soul nights and we both loved dancing to Northern Soul.

"Shane had an argument with the bouncer on the door, so he invited me back to his flat in Kings Cross which looked more like a squat, with a lot of broken tellies and a mattress on the floor and a cocktail bar shaped like a ship. We drank Retsina and listened to John Coltrane all night. It was a mess but I thought it was the most romantic thing I had ever experienced."

Victoria says romance plays a huge part in their relationship:

"We are both ludicrously romantic, and we tell each other that we love each other about fifty times a day and we both love flowers but Shane doesn't always like Rom Coms! He prefers a war movie, but our favourite thing to do together is probably just listening to music and making each other laugh.

"To me, love really means caring deeply about the other person’s happiness and respecting their choices and being able to see their soul even when they are driving you crazy. But I think love takes endless forms and love is at the heart of everything that exists. Love is a force and not a sentiment.

"I remember the first time he said ‘I love you,’ he was leaving for a Pogues trip to Spain the following morning and we had just had sex on the roof of my flat. I was blown away when he said it. I said ‘I love you too, ’ and he said ‘I know, you said it in your sleep.’

"I knew the first time I kissed him. I absolutely believe in soulmates and I believe that we are soulmates.

Victoria says meeting one another at such a young age means their relationship has developed over the years:

"We were both very wild when we met and loved to party every and all night. We drank as much as was possible and were always surrounded by people. We live a very quiet life now and we hardly ever go out. We don’t drink so much, so our relationship has changed. It is less dramatic!

"We are probably more sure of each other now, more secure in the relationship and more trusting of each other, and maybe we appreciate each other more."

So what is the secret to such a happy and long relationship?

"My advice is to keep exploring your own horizons, keep evolving and learning and trying new things and taking risks and respect each other’s differences."

See Victoria's website, Victoria Mary Clarke Angels where she offers everything form gorgeous prints and paintings, events, jewellery, scarves and more here.

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