diff --git a/class.phpmailer.php b/class.phpmailer.php
index 7b9eb147..9f96b935 100644
--- a/class.phpmailer.php
+++ b/class.phpmailer.php
@@ -735,7 +735,18 @@ class PHPMailer {
    * @access public
    */
   public static function ValidateAddress($address) {
-    return (boolean)preg_match('/^(?!(?>(?1)"?(?>\\\[ -~]|[^"])"?(?1)){255,})(?!(?>(?1)"?(?>\\\[ -~]|[^"])"?(?1)){65,}@)((?>(?>(?>((?>(?>(?>\x0D\x0A)?[\t ])+|(?>[\t ]*\x0D\x0A)?[\t ]+)?)(\((?>(?2)(?>[\x01-\x08\x0B\x0C\x0E-\'*-\[\]-\x7F]|\\\[\x00-\x7F]|(?3)))*(?2)\)))+(?2))|(?2))?)([!#-\'*+\/-9=?^-~-]+|"(?>(?2)(?>[\x01-\x08\x0B\x0C\x0E-!#-\[\]-\x7F]|\\\[\x00-\x7F]))*(?2)")(?>(?1)\.(?1)(?4))*(?1)@(?!(?1)[a-z0-9-]{64,})(?1)(?>([a-z0-9](?>[a-z0-9-]*[a-z0-9])?)(?>(?1)\.(?!(?1)[a-z0-9-]{64,})(?1)(?5)){0,126}|\[(?:(?>IPv6:(?>([a-f0-9]{1,4})(?>:(?6)){7}|(?!(?:.*[a-f0-9][:\]]){8,})((?6)(?>:(?6)){0,6})?::(?7)?))|(?>(?>IPv6:(?>(?6)(?>:(?6)){5}:|(?!(?:.*[a-f0-9]:){6,})(?8)?::(?>((?6)(?>:(?6)){0,4}):)?))?(25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|1[0-9]{2}|[1-9]?[0-9])(?>\.(?9)){3}))\])(?1)$/isD', $address);
+      if (defined('PCRE_VERSION')) { //Check this instead of extension_loaded so it works when that function is disabled
+          if (PCRE_VERSION >= 8.0) {
+              return (boolean)preg_match('/^(?!(?>(?1)"?(?>\\\[ -~]|[^"])"?(?1)){255,})(?!(?>(?1)"?(?>\\\[ -~]|[^"])"?(?1)){65,}@)((?>(?>(?>((?>(?>(?>\x0D\x0A)?[\t ])+|(?>[\t ]*\x0D\x0A)?[\t ]+)?)(\((?>(?2)(?>[\x01-\x08\x0B\x0C\x0E-\'*-\[\]-\x7F]|\\\[\x00-\x7F]|(?3)))*(?2)\)))+(?2))|(?2))?)([!#-\'*+\/-9=?^-~-]+|"(?>(?2)(?>[\x01-\x08\x0B\x0C\x0E-!#-\[\]-\x7F]|\\\[\x00-\x7F]))*(?2)")(?>(?1)\.(?1)(?4))*(?1)@(?!(?1)[a-z0-9-]{64,})(?1)(?>([a-z0-9](?>[a-z0-9-]*[a-z0-9])?)(?>(?1)\.(?!(?1)[a-z0-9-]{64,})(?1)(?5)){0,126}|\[(?:(?>IPv6:(?>([a-f0-9]{1,4})(?>:(?6)){7}|(?!(?:.*[a-f0-9][:\]]){8,})((?6)(?>:(?6)){0,6})?::(?7)?))|(?>(?>IPv6:(?>(?6)(?>:(?6)){5}:|(?!(?:.*[a-f0-9]:){6,})(?8)?::(?>((?6)(?>:(?6)){0,4}):)?))?(25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|1[0-9]{2}|[1-9]?[0-9])(?>\.(?9)){3}))\])(?1)$/isD', $address);
+          } else {
+              //Fall back to an older regex that doesn't need a recent PCRE
+              return (boolean)preg_match('/^(?!(?>"?(?>\\\[ -~]|[^"])"?){255,})(?!(?>"?(?>\\\[ -~]|[^"])"?){65,}@)(?>[!#-\'*+\/-9=?^-~-]+|"(?>(?>[\x01-\x08\x0B\x0C\x0E-!#-\[\]-\x7F]|\\\[\x00-\xFF]))*")(?>\.(?>[!#-\'*+\/-9=?^-~-]+|"(?>(?>[\x01-\x08\x0B\x0C\x0E-!#-\[\]-\x7F]|\\\[\x00-\xFF]))*"))*@(?>(?![a-z0-9-]{64,})(?>[a-z0-9](?>[a-z0-9-]*[a-z0-9])?)(?>\.(?![a-z0-9-]{64,})(?>[a-z0-9](?>[a-z0-9-]*[a-z0-9])?)){0,126}|\[(?:(?>IPv6:(?>(?>[a-f0-9]{1,4})(?>:[a-f0-9]{1,4}){7}|(?!(?:.*[a-f0-9][:\]]){8,})(?>[a-f0-9]{1,4}(?>:[a-f0-9]{1,4}){0,6})?::(?>[a-f0-9]{1,4}(?>:[a-f0-9]{1,4}){0,6})?))|(?>(?>IPv6:(?>[a-f0-9]{1,4}(?>:[a-f0-9]{1,4}){5}:|(?!(?:.*[a-f0-9]:){6,})(?>[a-f0-9]{1,4}(?>:[a-f0-9]{1,4}){0,4})?::(?>(?:[a-f0-9]{1,4}(?>:[a-f0-9]{1,4}){0,4}):)?))?(?>25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|1[0-9]{2}|[1-9]?[0-9])(?>\.(?>25[0-5]|2[0-4][0-9]|1[0-9]{2}|[1-9]?[0-9])){3}))\])$/isD', $address);
+          }
+      } else {
+          //No PCRE! Do something _very_ approximate!
+          //Check the address is 3 chars or longer and contains an @ that's not the first or last char
+          return (strlen($address) >= 3 and strpos($address, '@') >= 1 and strpos($address, '@') != strlen($address) - 1);
+      }
   }
 
   /////////////////////////////////////////////////