Gary Numan says how he wooed his fan-turned-wife 'may be illegal now'

Gary Numan said how he and his fan-turned-wife, Gemma O’Neill, first met "may be illegal now." He met her at a fan event around 1980 when she was 12 and he was 22. They crossed paths again six years later when O’Neill was 18 and he was 28, and she continued attending his concerts.

Numan said he contacted a fan club O’Neill was part of to get her phone number in 1992 after her mother died, wanting to give his condolences, "which, again, may be illegal." When he rang, she "put the phone down" because she thought it was a cruel trick; when he called back she quizzed him to make sure he was the real deal.

Their first date was at a Little Chef, a "down-to-earth" outing, Numan recalled, saying he did not "do all that flash, rich man, pop star stuff." The couple married in 1997 and went on to welcome daughters Raven, 23, Persia, 21, and Echo, 19.

gary numan, gemma o'neill, fan club, little chef, first date, married 1997, raven, persia, echo, phone number