Meg Mathews

Meg Mathews (born 14 March 1966) is an English columnist, activist and entrepreneur. She became known through her former marriage to the musician Noel Gallagher and as the mother of the model and photographer Anaïs Gallagher.

Early life

Meg Mathews was born in Guernsey, Channel Islands[1] on 14 March 1966,[2] as the only child to Stanley Mathews, a builder, and his wife, Christine, a secretary.[3] The family emigrated to South Africa when she was nine years old, where she was raised on a wine farm just outside Stellenbosch in Western Cape.[4]

Mathews attended Sibford School, a Quaker boarding school, from the age of 12, where her friends included the filmmaker Guy Ritchie.[5]

Career

Mathews started her career as a cashier in a branch of the high-end clothes shop Joseph. She was promoted to manager within six months. She had her own fashion PR company by the age of 21.[6] She rose to fame in the Britpop scene while working in music management. She has also worked as an interior designer.[7]

Mathews appeared on the thirteenth episode in the final series of the ITV cookery reality show Hell's Kitchen in 2009.[8]

Mathews appeared on the Channel 4 entertainment programme Time Crashers in 2015. The programme, presented by Tony Robinson and Cassie Newland, sees Mathews, with nine other celebrities, transported to different historical settings where they experience the life of the 'lower' classes and are set tasks relating to that era.[9]

Mathews launched MegsMenopause, a platform dedicated to breaking the stigma[10] around the menopause,[11] in 2018.[12]

Mathews wrote her first book, The New Hot: Taking on the Menopause with Attitude and Style (ISBN 9780593129364), which was published by Ebury Publishing in October 2020.[13]

Personal life

Mathews married the musician Noel Gallagher (born 1967) in a secret ceremony at the Little Church of the West, the oldest wedding chapel on the Las Vegas Strip, on 5 June 1997.[14] Her brother-in-law was the singer and songwriter Liam Gallagher (born 1972).[15] The pair met in 1994 through her roommate, the MTV presenter Rebecca de Ruvo, whom Gallagher was dating at the time and whom he left for Mathews.[16] They lived at Supernova Heights on Steele's Road in Belsize Park.[17] Their only child, a daughter, Anaïs Gallagher,[18] a model and photographer, was born at Portland Hospital in Westminster, Greater London on 27 January 2000.[19][20] She named their daughter after her favourite writer, Anaïs Nin.[21] The couple separated in September 2000[22][23][24] and divorced on 19 January 2001,[25] after three-and-a-half years of marriage, on the grounds of Gallagher's adultery with the Scottish publicist Sara MacDonald,[26] whom Gallagher met at the Ibiza nightclub Space in June 2000.[27] After their divorce was finalised, Gallagher said that he had never actually been unfaithful and had only said he had cheated on Mathews to speed up the divorce process.[28]

Mathews was a member of the Primrose Hill set.[29] Her daughter is considered to be a member of the next generation Primrose Hill set.[30][31]

Mathews announced her engagement to Peter Sidell, who is the owner of a Knightsbridge menswear shop The Library and an arts professor at the Royal College of Art, in May 2009,[32] after a six-month relationship. He proposed on top of the Empire State Building in Manhattan, New York City.[33][34] She was planning their wedding for 2010.[35][36] The couple separated in November 2010.[37]

Mathews lives in Newquay, Cornwall.[38]

On 7 July 2023, Mathews was arrested on charges of drink-driving after she crashed her yellow Jeep Wrangler into a parked car following a book signing in Nansledan. She was breathalyzed at the scene of the crash, which caused minor damage, and found to be over the legal limit.[39][40] She appeared before Cornwall Magistrates' Court in Bodmin, where she pleaded guilty to a charge of driving a motor vehicle with an alcohol level above the limit. She was banned from driving for 20 months,[41] fined £440, and ordered to pay a £176 surcharge and £85 prosecution costs.[42][43]

Filmography

Year Title Notes
1996 Oasis: Mad for It! 2 episodes
1998 Omnibus Episode: "Alan McGee: The Man Who Discovered Oasis"
2002 The Art Show Episode: "Revolt in Fashion"
2007 Deadline Episode: "Episode #1.2"
2007 The Wright Stuff Episode: "14/05/2007"
2009 Hell's Kitchen Episode: "Episode #4.13"
2015 Time Crashers 6 episodes
2018 Jeremy Vine Episode: "Episode #1.43"

Bibliography

  • Mathews, Meg (2020). The New Hot: Taking on the Menopause with Attitude and Style. Ebury Publishing. ISBN 9780593129364.

References

  1. ^ Odell, Michael (6 January 2008). "Meg Mathews". The Guardian. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  2. ^ Lewis, Rebecca (26 March 2019). "Kate Moss leads pals home early as Primrose Set enjoy dinner not drinks for Meg Matthews birthday". Metro. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  3. ^ "Meg Mathews: 'Why do they all hate me?'". The Independent. 15 March 2005. Archived from the original on 6 July 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  4. ^ Ewing, Sarah (26 August 2010). "My perfect weekend: Meg Mathews". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  5. ^ D’Souza, Christa (8 May 2016). "Meg Mathews on life under the knife". The Times. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  6. ^ Heawood, Sophie (18 October 2020). "Meg Mathews: 'I feared my colourful 90s life had caught up with me'". The Guardian. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  7. ^ Hinds, Alice (13 October 2020). ""I thought my wild '90s life had finally caught up with me. Then I learned I wasn't alone": Meg Mathews on the impact of menopause". The Sunday Post. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  8. ^ French, Dan (27 April 2009). "Bafta TV Awards audience down 1.3m". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  9. ^ Mead, Charles (23 August 2015). "Time Crashers: Meet the celebrities". Radio Times. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  10. ^ Mathews, Meg (29 April 2021). "Meg Mathews: Everything you ever wanted to know about HRT but were too afraid to ask". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  11. ^ Ramsdale, Suzannah (24 April 2019). "'I spent three months sitting in my house feeling s**t': Meg Mathews on why she's loud and proud to talk about menopause". The Standard. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  12. ^ Hill, Amelia (28 August 2019). "Meg Mathews: We need to talk about the menopause as loudly as we can". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  13. ^ "a mission to help mid-life women". Yorkshire Post. 7 October 2020. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  14. ^ Brace, Matthew (6 June 1997). "Noel and Meg tie the knot in Vegas". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  15. ^ Rosseinsky, Katie (28 August 2024). "Partying, affairs and very expensive splits: the story of the Gallaghers' tumultuous marriages". The Independent. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  16. ^ Kemp, Ellie (15 January 2023). "Noel Gallagher's love life... his previous wives and girlfriends". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  17. ^ Watson, Shane (13 April 2012). "Motherhood, Kate Moss and me..." The Standard. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  18. ^ "Meg Mathews talks about daughter Anais". People. 7 May 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  19. ^ Hartley-Brewer, Julia (28 January 2000). "Oasis star 'over the moon' after birth of baby Anais". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  20. ^ "Oasis Noel becomes a father". BBC News. 27 January 2000. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  21. ^ "Anais Nin: What's the story?". BBC News. 28 January 2000. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  22. ^ "Noel and Meg split up". BBC News. 6 September 2000. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  23. ^ Allison, Rebecca (6 September 2000). "Noel Gallagher and wife split". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  24. ^ "Noel and Meg deny custody battle". BBC News. 7 September 2000. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  25. ^ "A rock-and-roll marriage". BBC News. 19 January 2001. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  26. ^ O'Connor, Rachael (14 January 2023). "Noel Gallagher splits from wife Sara MacDonald after 22 years together". Metro. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  27. ^ "Noel denies adultery claim". BBC News. 18 January 2001. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  28. ^ "Noel and Meg finally divorce". BBC News. 19 January 2001. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  29. ^ Craik, Laura (1 June 2015). "Primrose Hill: the NW1 set has lost its cool". The Standard. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  30. ^ O'Malley, Katie (21 June 2017). "The New Primrose Hill Set: A Who's Who Of The Millenials Taking Over From Their Famous Parents". ELLE. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  31. ^ Mills, Simon (20 September 2017). "Have you met the new Primrose Hill set?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  32. ^ "Meg Matthews reveals engagement exclusively to HELLO!". HELLO!. 18 May 2009. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  33. ^ Klompus, Jack (17 May 2009). "Meg Mathews to wed boyfriend Sidell". Digital Spy. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  34. ^ Hattersley, Giles (2 August 2009). "At home with trend setter Meg Matthews". The Times. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  35. ^ Walker, Tim (7 August 2010). "Meg Matthews plans an untraditional wedding". The Telegraph. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  36. ^ Macdonald, Marianne (20 March 2010). "Meg Matthews on remarrying 10 years after splitting from Noel Gallagher". The Times. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  37. ^ Davies, Taryn (30 November 2011). "Meg Matthews still friends with former fiance". Female First. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  38. ^ Mathews, Meg (23 April 2021). "'Who said the UK is all booked up? It's as quiet as ever here in Newquay'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  39. ^ Clark, Daniel (11 July 2023). "Pictures show Noel Gallagher's ex-wife Meg Mathews' arrest after alleged drink-driving Cornwall crash". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  40. ^ Clark, Daniel (11 July 2023). "Noel Gallagher's ex-wife Meg Mathews charged with drink-driving after Cornwall crash". Cornwall Live. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  41. ^ Minchin, Rod (28 July 2023). "Meg Mathews banned from roads for drink-driving after book launch". The Independent. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  42. ^ "Meg Mathews fined and given ban after drink-driving crash". BBC News. 28 July 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
  43. ^ "Noel Gallagher's ex Meg Mathews banned from driving after drunken Cornwall crash". ITVX. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 12 March 2025.