Shane MacGowan pictured out of his wheelchair as he hopes to get back on feet with help from Tipperary physio
The Pogues icon — who shattered his pelvis some years ago — is putting in the hard graft with Tipperary trainer Paddy Pio O'Rourke
SHANE MacGowan is hoping to get back on his feet with the help of a physiotherapist — who is introducing him to modern music.
The Pogues icon — who shattered his pelvis some years ago — is putting in the hard graft with Tipperary trainer Paddy Pio O'Rourke.
MacGowan, 61, has been confined to a wheelchair since suffering a freak fall leaving a studio in 2015, calling it his most painful injury ever.
The legendary singer is now on the mend thanks to at-home sessions with Paddy, who uses music to help motivate the star.
Shane's wife Victoria Mary Clarke was full of praise for the chartered physio, who she believes is a great fit for the Fiesta rocker.
She told the Irish Sun: "The physio is brilliant. He is from Toomevara in Tipperary and he plays music really loud to motivate Shane.
"He actually introduced him to stuff that he hadn't heard like Post Malone and he is really good at teasing Shane to make him laugh.
"I think psychology is a huge part of getting people moving when they have had mobility issues. He's great."
MUSIC MOTIVATION
And physio Paddy, who runs Z10 Physiotherapy, was extremely complimentary of MacGowan, telling how the pair have bonded through a shared love of music.
He occasionally uses session breaks to test Shane on his musical knowledge and is blown away by his "phenomenal" reactions.
He told the Irish Sun: "Since I started working with Shane he has been very motivated to get back on his feet and he's doing really well. He's a huge Post Malone fan now!
"His song Rockstar came on through my playlist during one of our first sessions and he couldn't stop laughing at some of the lyrics.
"And now he loves the rest of his music so we usually throw him on as loud as we can and Shane does his best work.
"I'm trying to teach him how to use Spotify so he can access any song whenever he wants.
"When we're taking a break from exercise I sometimes play a game with him where I play a song from the 70s or 80s and he has to guess the artist and song as quick as he can.
"His sharpness and knowledge on music is phenomenal."
LONG RECOVERY
Shane opened up about his long road to recovery after his horror fall leaving a Dublin studio in 2015.
Speaking following the accident, he said: "I fell the wrong way. I broke my pelvis, which is the worst thing you can do. I'm lame in one leg, I can't walk around the room without a crutch.
"I am getting better, but it's taking a very long time. It's the longest I've ever taken to recover from an injury. And I've had a lot of injuries."
Victoria joked at the time that Shane had suffered the injury while attempting a "complicated dance move".
Meanwhile, the journalist told this week how she and Shane were almost married by megastar Johnny Depp.
The couple — who have been together for 32 years and were engaged for 11 years — finally tied the knot in Copenhagen's City Hall last November.
Close pal Depp served as the wedding guitarist but Victoria revealed he could have had a bigger role.
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She said: "He was originally going to actually marry us.
"We were going to do it in the Bahamas originally but that was kind of awkward for Shane with his mobility issues and also for my family it's easier. Copenhagen's not very far away."
She said Depp brought a guitar "and he did sing", but Shane put a ban on singing A Rainy Night in Soho.
