Music legend Rod Stewart reveals who wears the trousers in his marriage and talks about branching out into the whisky business
WORDS: PHOEBE TONKS PHOTOS: ART STREIBER/AUGUST, GETTY IMAGES
IN GOOD SPIRITS
They say that behind every successful man, there stands a strong woman – and that couldn’t ring truer for Rod Stewart.
The legendary singer, 79, has been married to Penny Lancaster for 16 years and describes her as “extraordinary”. Opening up about their relationship, he tells us, “Oh it’s wonderful. She puts me in my place.”
And Rod cheekily admits that things have stepped up a notch since former model Penny, 52, became a special police constable for the Met Police in April 2021.
“She has become a little bit more bossy,” he jokes. “Even our two children have noticed. Especially when we’re driving! She’ll say, ‘Oh, you’re driving too fast. Oh, you should have put a signal out there.’”
But he adds that he’s “so, so proud” of Penny, who was on policing duties during Elizabeth II’s funeral and the coronation of King Charles.
“I’ve been right behind her right from the start,” he says.
The couple, who are parents to Alastair, 18, and Aiden, 12, first met in 1999 when Rod agreed to let budding photographer Penny take photos of him while he was on tour. Romance soon blossomed and Rod popped the question in 2005 at the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. They tied the knot in June 2007 in Italy and went on to renew their vows a decade later while Rod was on tour in Australia.
Rod had two wives and six children with four different mothers before they got together. He shares daughter Sarah, 60, with ex-girlfriend Susannah Boffey. He’s dad to daughter Kimberly, 44, and son Sean, 43, with his ex-wife Alana Stewart, as well as daughter Ruby, 36, with his ex-girlfriend Kelly Emberg. While married to Rachel Hunter, he had two more children, daughter Renee, 31, and son Liam, 29.
But despite a brief split in the early days of their relationship, Penny was the woman to tame the rock star and the couple have gone from strength to strength over the years.
Rod tells us they’ll be celebrating Valentine’s Day in Florida. Sharing an insight into his plans for the most romantic day of the year, he tells us, “Gifts are so very personal and over the years I’ve bought my wife diamonds because I’ve got the money to do what she loves. Gold and diamond
