The Fleetwood Mac bandmate who intimidated Christine McVie: “I was terrified”
Christine McVie, whose songwriting and steadying presence were central to Fleetwood Mac's success, initially found bandmate Mick Fleetwood intimidating when she joined the group in 1970. Her death in 2022 underlined how vital she had been to the band, with Stevie Nicks suggesting Fleetwood Mac effectively ended without her, making this early friction with Fleetwood a striking contrast to the close bond they later formed.
McVie joined Fleetwood Mac after leaving Chicken Shack and marrying bassist John McVie, quickly clicking with other members but describing Mick Fleetwood as "so tall and thin and imposing" and admitting she was "terrified" of him at first, though she came to see him as "just a puppy really". The pair went on to become pillars of stability through the band's turbulent history of line-up changes and personal drama, and Fleetwood remained a trusted confidant even after McVie left in 1998, later persuading her to rejoin in 2014.
- Christine McVie initially found Mick Fleetwood intimidating when she joined the band
- She later called him "just a puppy" once she got to know him
- The pair became key to holding Fleetwood Mac together through years of turmoil
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Fleetwood Mac was one of the most successful bands in music history, and Christine McVie was one of its central figures, contributing songwriting and vocals from 1970 until her death in 2022. She joined the group after leaving another band, Chicken Shack, and marrying bassist John McVie, becoming part of a line-up that also included drummer Mick Fleetwood and, later, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.
Mick Fleetwood, the band's drummer and one of its founding members, took his surname to become half of the group's name alongside John McVie. He and Christine McVie went on to form one of the more stable relationships within a band famed for personal and romantic upheaval among its members, with Fleetwood remaining a close and trusted figure to her throughout her career, including after she left the band in 1998 and later returned in 2014.
This background matters because Christine McVie's death in 2022 is widely regarded as having marked the effective end of Fleetwood Mac, with fellow member Stevie Nicks among those suggesting the band could not continue without her. Understanding her long-standing relationship with Mick Fleetwood, and her importance to the group overall, helps explain why reflections on their early dynamic carry particular weight now.