When Noel Gallagher was on the cusp of huge success with his fledgling band Oasis, there was one woman at his side.
Socialite Meg Mathews had met the guitarist just nine months before he and brother Liam made their name and defined a new era of Britpop following the huge success of their debut album, Definitely Maybe.
And she was, by all accounts, Noel’s rock as he navigated the choppy waters that come with new-found fame and fortune.
Every chaotic gig the band played, Meg would be a constant, reassuring presence in the background. But as is so often the case in rock ’n’ roll, it wasn’t to last.
Their Las Vegas wedding in 1997, complete with an Elvis impersonator, ended in divorce less than four years later – an acrimonious split, which has been described to me as one of the nastiest in recent celebrity history. There were claims that Noel had cheated, and Meg – who had given birth to their daughter, Anais, just eight months before – was reportedly left suffering from post-traumatic stress, such was the extent of the fallout.
‘There were some nasty times,’ recalls one friend who was around the couple. ‘The split broke Meg, it was awful.’
But as one source tells me this week, time, it seems, is a great healer. Some 25 years on from those unhappy days, the pair have come full circle. Meg, now 59, is not only said to have been a tower of strength for 58-year-old Noel in the aftermath of his split from his second wife, Sara MacDonald, but has also been at his side while he navigated a reunion with Liam – 16 years after the band broke apart following years of vicious rows.
In fact, Noel and Meg are now so close that she is attending the brothers’ gigs with her own guest list – something that has raised eyebrows given that the Gallaghers have been notoriously tight with freebies, even for their own roadies.
Socialite Meg Mathews (pictured) had met the guitarist just nine months before Noel and brother Liam made their name and defined a new era of Britpop
In fact, Noel (pictured during 2025 tour) and Meg are now so close that she is attending the brothers’ gigs with her own guest list
One source close to the stars says: ‘Noel and Meg are on really good terms again, it’s like they have gone full circle.
‘They are friends this time – there is no romance – but they have been there for one another.
‘Noel can be a tricky character, but Meg gets him, she knew him when he was in his 20s. And while being in a high-profile marriage changed them, there is a lot of common ground there.
‘Noel has had a horrid time. He was pretty scarred and upset by the whole divorce from Sara, but Meg was a rock. Time is a great healer, as they say, but they also have a shared history.
‘And that shared history includes Oasis. When it was good it was really good. Meg must remember that and so, of course, getting Noel back together with Liam was something she was always going to be in favour of.’
With a special VIP ticket arranged by Noel, Meg attended the band’s first gig in Cardiff on July 4 alongside the couple’s daughter Anais, now 25. There were claims Meg had walked out of the performance early before the band’s 1995 hit single Wonderwall was played, which Noel reportedly wrote about her.
But on social media, Meg hit back – insisting that, while she did leave early, she did so to avoid the crowds leaving the venue at the end. Certainly outwardly, memories of their time together appear to be largely happy ones. Ahead of the comeback tour, Meg counted down the days by sharing loved-up snaps of her with Noel from their married days.
But such a whitewashing of history has left some fans rather confused. Most only too clearly recall just how badly their relationship ended. There were daily stories in the Press chronicling how deep the fallout had been.
So how have the couple managed to overcome those past hurts and rekindle what now looks to be a warm friendship?
Some suggest Anais has been a key factor in bringing the pair together. But others say that the Oasis tour has played a bigger part in sealing their friendship.
With a special VIP ticket arranged by Noel, Meg (pictured) attended the band’s first gig in Cardiff on July 4
The couple’s daughter Anais, who is now 25, also attented the Cardiff gig alongside her mum
‘For Meg, there are so many memories with Oasis,’ said one source. ‘She was part of the band at the beginning, she was in its DNA. She is a very bright woman and knows what sounds good and what doesn’t.
‘Noel had respect for that and now the band are back together, it’s all very nostalgic and it has brought back wonderful memories for both of them. It’s like they are totally loving being back there in the ’90s when life was so good.’ Noel once claimed that he and Meg were brought together ‘through drugs’ but today she is clean and sober, following the same kind of healthy lifestyle as her former Primrose Hill comrades such as Sadie Frost and Davinia Taylor.
Noel, too, is also largely clean-living, despite being known to still enjoy the odd drink.
One source said: ‘This would have massively helped relations.’
Noel is understood to be in a new relationship, although it isn’t clear how serious it is and her identity remains a mystery.
But it will certainly have helped put a smile back on his face after his split, two years ago, from PR executive Sara.
The couple wed in 2011 after having two sons, Donovan and Sonny, but announced in January 2023 that their marriage was over.
There were reports that Noel had to hand over more than £20million in the divorce, which is thought to have included their £8million home in north London.
‘Noel found the split from Sara difficult,’ said one source. ‘He went off to live in Claridge’s hotel for around a year where he tried to rebuild his life. Divorce is horrible for anyone – being a multi-millionaire famous singer doesn’t make it any easier.
‘But Meg has remained in Noel’s life because of Anais. She’s a decent woman and would help anyone.’ Both Noel and Meg have always insisted they would be the best parents possible for Anais, who is likely to have no memory of her mum and dad being together. But as she reaches her mid-20s, she perhaps could not have imagined that they would reach such an amicable place.
The model and photographer appears to have been enjoying her trips to Oasis gigs, and has been pictured alongside her cousins, including 25-year-old Lennon – Liam’s son with actress Patsy Kensit – and Gene, 24, whose mother is All Saints singer Nicole Appleton.
Observers tell me that Meg and Noel’s reunion is another happy piece in the Oasis family jigsaw, which is finally bringing some joy following years of acrimony.
As one put it: ‘The Oasis reunion hasn’t just been about Noel and Liam sharing a stage, but also so many of their family members have come back together.
‘While Liam and Noel are still not exactly besties, those around them are now one very happy clan.’
