Gary Numan is looking back at the unusual way he reconnected with the woman who later became his wife.
The “Cars” singer, 68, told The Times that Gemma O’Neill first came into his orbit as a young fan, years before their relationship became romantic.
People reported that Numan first met O’Neill at a fan event around 1980, when he was 22 and she was 12. He did not remember that first interaction, but O’Neill later recalled being overwhelmed and telling him she loved him.
The two crossed paths again over the years. By the time Numan contacted her directly in the early 1990s, O’Neill was an adult, and he had noticed she had stopped coming to his shows.
Numan First Knew O’Neill as a Fan
People reported that Numan and O’Neill crossed paths again about six years after that first fan-event meeting, when he posed for a photo with her. By 1988, after she continued attending concerts and fan events, he knew her well enough to sign an autograph directly to “Gemma.”
O’Neill had been a devoted fan long before they became a couple. Entertainment Weekly reported that she once told a career counselor she would not need a job because she planned to marry Gary Numan.
Image Credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.
He Used the Fan Club to Get Her Number
Numan told The Times that he noticed O’Neill had stopped attending his concerts after her mother died. He then used the fan club to get her phone number so he could call and offer condolences.
“I used the fan club to get her phone number,” he said, according to Entertainment Weekly. “That’s how I attracted her, which I think is illegal now.”
O’Neill did not believe it was really him at first. Numan said she hung up because she thought someone was playing a cruel trick, and when he called back, she made him prove his identity by answering questions about his own life.
Their First Date Was a Drive and a Little Chef Stop
After the call, Numan asked O’Neill to join him on a drive to a radio interview in northern England. He also took her to Little Chef, the British roadside restaurant chain.
“I took her to a Little Chef because I’m very down to earth,” Numan told The Times, according to People. “I don’t do all that flash, rich man, pop star stuff.”
O’Neill later described the date as “really cute.” People reported that the pair did not begin seriously dating until about a year later.
They Married in 1997
Numan and O’Neill married in 1997 after nearly a decade together. They share three daughters: Raven, 23, Persia, 21, and Echo, 19.
Their family has also become part of Numan’s music. Entertainment Weekly noted that Persia has appeared on his work, including the 2017 song “My Name Is Ruin.”
Numan told The Times that O’Neill remains central to his life after decades together. “I miss her even when she’s in a different part of the house,” he said.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
