{"id":2474728,"date":"2026-06-25T05:44:51","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T05:44:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2474728"},"modified":"2026-06-25T05:44:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T05:44:51","slug":"cars-singer-gary-numan-knew-his-wife-as-a-fan-before-they-married-says-how-they-hooked-up-may-be-illegal-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/cars-singer-gary-numan-knew-his-wife-as-a-fan-before-they-married-says-how-they-hooked-up-may-be-illegal-now\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Cars&#8217; singer Gary Numan knew his wife as a fan before they married, says how they hooked up may be &#8216;illegal now&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">Key Points<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Gary Numan opened up about how his wife of nearly 30 years was originally a fan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The two first met when she was 12 and he was 22, but got to know each other better after she turned 18.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">How they went from friends to spouses &#8220;I think is illegal now,&#8221; the &#8220;Cars&#8221; singer said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/article\/2016\/01\/05\/gary-numan-pledge-music-new-album\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Gary Numan;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Gary Numan&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Gary Numan<\/a> is sharing his unconventional love story with his wife of nearly 30 years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The &#8220;Cars&#8221; singer first met Gemma O&#8217;Neill at a fan event around 1980 when he was 22 \u2014 and she was only 12. Six years later, they crossed paths again and he posed for a photo with the 18-year-old. He didn&#8217;t know her name then, but that changed by 1988 when he signed an autograph and already knew to make it out to &#8220;Gemma.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As she continued to attend his concerts, Numan and O&#8217;Neill got to know each other on an even deeper level.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;That&#8217;s how I attracted her, which I think is illegal now,\u201d he told <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thetimes.com\/culture\/music\/article\/gary-numan-the-way-i-wooed-my-wife-would-be-illegal-now-xxcm0kdz8?t=1782306826910\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:The Times;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;The Times&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>The Times<\/em><\/a> on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-primary p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-primary\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewbox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\" focusable=\"false\" class=\"flex-none size-4 -scale-x-100 text-primary lg:size-6 [&amp;_path]:fill-current\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M3.1 3.1V11h1.8V6.314l5.392 5.393 1.415-1.414L6.313 4.9H11V3.1zm17.8 17.8V13h-1.8v4.686l-5.393-5.393-1.415 1.414 5.393 5.393H13v1.8z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-primary hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>Gary Numan in the 1980s<br \/>Credit: Fin Costello\/Redferns<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Recalling how things went from platonic to romantic, Numan said he had learned about the death of O&#8217;Neill&#8217;s mother, he contacted a fanclub she belonged to seeking her phone number to extend his condolences, &#8220;which, again, may be illegal,&#8221; he acknowledged. When the rockstar made the call to O&#8217;Neill, &#8220;she put the phone down \u2014 she thought it was somebody playing a cruel trick.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Numan called back and ultimately convinced O&#8217;Neill it was really him after he aced a quiz about himself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">For their first date, Numan brought O&#8217;Neill along for a radio interview in Northern England and then for a bite at a roadside chain restaurant.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;I took her to a Little Chef because I&#8217;m very down to earth,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I don&#8217;t do all that flash, rich-man, pop-star stuff.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">O&#8217;Neill described the date as &#8220;really cute&#8221; in an interview with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.the-independent.com\/arts-entertainment\/how-we-met-1240497.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:The Independent;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;The Independent&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>The Independent<\/em><\/a> in 1997, the year she and Numan got married after nearly a decade together.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong><em>Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our <\/em><\/strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/ew-dispatch-newsletter-11812417\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:EW Dispatch newsletter;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;EW Dispatch newsletter&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><strong><em>EW Dispatch newsletter<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It was the realization of a dream she&#8217;d had ever since she was a young fan of the singer. Numan revealed to <em>The Times<\/em> that O&#8217;Neill once told a career counselor: &#8220;I&#8217;m going to marry Gary Numan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Three decades later, they&#8217;re still going strong and even have a little fanclub of their own, their daughters Raven, 23, Persia, 21, and Echo, 19.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/ew.com\/cars-singer-gary-numan-says-how-he-hooked-up-with-wife-may-be-illegal-now-12006367\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:Entertainment Weekly;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Entertainment Weekly&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Entertainment Weekly<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Key Points Gary Numan opened up about how his wife of nearly 30 years was originally a fan. The two first met when she was 12 and he was 22, but got to know each other better after she turned 18. How they went from friends to spouses &#8220;I think is illegal now,&#8221; the &#8220;Cars&#8221; [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2474729,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[415318,486980],"class_list":["post-2474728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-gary-numan","tag-gemma-o39neill"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Cars-singer-Gary-Numan-knew-his-wife-as-a-fan.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2474728"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474728\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2474730,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2474728\/revisions\/2474730"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2474729"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2474728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2474728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2474728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}