Meg Mathews says she suffered with PTSD after divorcing Noel Gallagher

Danny Thompson
·Contributor
·2 min read
Noel Gallagher and his girlfriend Meg Matthews at 10 Downing Street for a party held by Prime Minister Tony Blair. Many celebrities also attended, 30th July 1997. (Photo by John Ferguson/Ian Vogler/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)
Noel Gallagher and Meg Matthews at 10 Downing Street for a party held by Prime Minister Tony Blair. Many celebrities also attended, 30th July 1997. (Photo by John Ferguson/Ian Vogler/Mirrorpix/Getty Images)

Meg Mathews has revealed her divorce from Oasis star Noel Gallagher left her with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The pair were darlings of the press at the height of the Britpop era after marrying in 1997.

However, the whirlwind romance ended in divorce in 2001, a year after the birth of their daughter Anais.

Read more: Noel Gallagher suffered 'brutal panic attacks' at height of cocaine use

Speaking on DJ Fat Tony’s podcast The Recovery, Mathews said: “I came through the marriage. Everything was public. At the end of the day I did not have the cog or the PR world that that person (Noel) had.

“I was just the ex-wife. I had nobody. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t have a press agent, wasn’t famous, I just had a daughter.

“I used to get terrible PTSD. In 1997 I was the third most written about woman. It was Lady Diana, The Spice Girls and me.”

PTSD symptoms include anxiety, disturbing thoughts, flashbacks, and difficulty sleeping.

Gallagher wed Mathews after meeting in 1994. While he was the brains behind the biggest rock band of the day, she was a socialite and part of the Primrose Hill set of pals that included supermodel Kate Moss and actress Sadie Frost.

The couple were known for their hedonistic and hard partying lifestyle.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 20: Meg Matthews attends The Heart Hero Awards at Shakespeare's Globe on September 20, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
Meg Matthews attends The Heart Hero Awards at Shakespeare's Globe on September 20, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)

Speaking on Matt Morgan's Funny How? podcast earlier this year, Gallagher revealed he used cocaine every day before eventually quitting, describing 1995 to 1998 as his "crazy years".

He said: "I had a few really f*****g brutal, aggressive panic attacks which is why I quit."

His marriage to Mathews ended when she filed for divorce on the grounds Gallagher was an adulterer, claiming the guitarist had an affair with publicist Sara McDonald - claims he refuted.

Read more: Liam Gallagher jibes at brother Noel after learning he's missing from unearthed Oasis track

After the divorce was final, Gallagher went onto to have a relationship with McDonald and they eventually married in 2011, sharing two sons, Donovan and Sonny.

Mathews said she ended up in rehab, and became teetotal, which she says gave her “the best tools to bring up a daughter”.

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 21: Noel Gallagher and Anais Gallagher attend the 2019 BMI London Awards at The Savoy Hotel on October 21, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images for BMI London Awards)
Noel Gallagher and Anais Gallagher attend the 2019 BMI London Awards at The Savoy Hotel on October 21, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Dave J Hogan/Getty Images for BMI London Awards)

Daughter Anais is now 20. She is a model and social media influencer.

The Recovery podcast is available to listen to online now