Liam Gallagher's New Year's wedding

Dec 12, 2006, 12:10 GMT

Liam Gallagher, 2006. EPA/STEFFEN SCHMIDT

Liam Gallagher is to wed fiancée Nicole Appleton in secret in the New Year, according to Liam's brother Noel.

The Oasis guitarist claims Liam and the All Saints singer - who have been together for six years and have a son, five-year-old Gene - are planning to elope after Christmas.

Noel was overheard revealing his sibling's wedding plans to a friend at a party held by radio station XFM in Manchester.

The songwriter allegedly said: "He's all set to get wed in the next few months. They are just going to slip away and do it quietly. He already calls Nicole his missus so they might as well get hitched."

Nicole - who reunited with her All Saints bandmates just a few months ago, around five years after they disbanded in 2001 - has made no secret of her desire to marry Liam.

She recently said: "We will definitely get married, it's just a matter of time."

Liam, 34, has been married once before.

In April 1997 he tied the knot with the actress Patsy Kensit. The pair divorced in September 2000 and have a seven-year-old son, Lennon, together.

When they split in the summer of 2000, a clearly drunk Liam announced the separation to around 90,000 fans at the now demolished Wembley football stadium, in London, saying: "Me missus has left me, with nothing. Not even a f***ing teabag!"

(C) BANG Media International