Rod Stewart may be one of the most iconic British rock stars, but he has had his fair share of regrets, particularly when it comes to his personal life.
Amid his legendary music career, the 15-time Grammy nominee and one-time winner for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album in 2005 for Stardust… The Great American Songbook Volume III, faced intense scrutiny on his marriage, as his personal life was highly publicized.
After two failed marriages, the “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” hitmaker married Penny Lancaster in 2007 after they first met in 1999 while at a party.
Due to their huge age gap, with the English model being 27 at the time and Stewart in his early 50s, the public criticized their age difference as they closely watched their relationship.
Despite the public scrutiny, the pair officially tied the knot in 2007, marking Stewart’s longest-lasting marriage.
After 18 years together, Lancaster admitted that she wasn’t initially looking for a relationship at the time. Moreover, she wasn’t interested in the award-winning singer.
“I wasn’t a fan. And I definitely wasn’t thinking of a relationship because I was coming out of a long-term one, which wasn’t easy,” she told Saga Magazine, adding, “Rod was such an unknown entity.”
After meeting him, the former model confessed that she had some doubts about whether to get involved with him.
“There were a lot of times after that night when I thought, ‘What the hell am I getting myself into?’ But Rod’s world was a vortex and I was sucked in,” she revealed.
Lo and behold, the two ended up together and built a family, raising their two sons: 19-year-old Alastair and their youngest, 14-year-old Aiden.
Speaking of children, Rod Stewart has eight kids from three marriages. His eldest, Sarah Streeter, was born when he was a teenager. He then had two children, Kimberly and Sean Stewart, with his first wife, Alana Collins.
Ruby Stewart, his fourth child, is a daughter he shares with ex-girlfriend Kelly Emberg.
From his second marriage to Rachel Hunter, he welcomed two more children: Renee Stewart and Liam Stewart.
According to Lancaster, she previously told Stewart about wanting to have their own kids, but he had some hesitations at the time.
When asked if she would have left him if he didn’t change his mind, the mom-of-two said, “Yes.”
“And that would have been very hard,” she revealed, adding, “But we just went with the flow.”
The 54-year-old revealed the heartbreaking regret her husband has about their decision after welcoming their two children.
“Now Rod always says, ‘I wish I’d said yes [to babies] earlier, because then we could have had more children.’ Even five years ago, we were talking about adopting, but it ended up not happening. We thought there might be too much of an age gap,” she explained.
Her children with Stewart were born via IVF after she experienced a miscarriage during her previous relationship.
Lancaster previously explained in another interview why Stewart was initially reluctant to have more children.
According to her, the “Have I Told You Lately That I Love You” singer already had a large family and spending time with his children was nearly impossible due to his busy schedule.
Related: Rod Stewart Makes Rare Comments About Wife Penny Lancaster’s Major Career Change
This story was originally reported by Parade on Sep 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
