Rod Stewart's agonising split from Penny Lancaster inspired devastating song
Surrounded by his family and with his beloved wife Penny Lancaster, 51, by his side, Rod Stewart couldn't have been happier as he blew out a candle to mark his 78th birthday.
Having been married to Penny - the mother of his two children - since 2007, the couple are stronger than ever after spending two decades of their lives together. Yet, it hasn't all been plain sailing.
Heartbroken Rod was left gazing longingly at a photo of Penny every night and morning after she walked out him several years ago.
The pair, who have been together for over 20 years, eventually patched up their problems and the Sailing star decided to sing about his ordeal on his album, Time.
Rod, who turns 77 on Monday, explained: "I cover Tom Waits' Picture In A Frame.
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"Penny and I broke up for two weeks and the song is about that time. I asked her for a photo of herself in a frame so that I could see her when I went to bed and when I woke up."
He then added that he had "taken a lot of risks" when it came to romance - but that he learnt women like to hear the truth, and they hate smoking and gambling.
Rod and Penny split up for two weeks, leaving him heartbroken (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)
He dedicated a Tom Waits cover to his wife when they reconciled (PA)Ge t the news you want straight to your inbox. .
Speaking to Australian magazine Life, Rod went on to say he has learnt valuable lessons when it comes to marriage and long term love.
"My relationship rule is, ‘Don’t argue after a glass of wine – leave debating until the morning,'" he explained.
"I have always loved women, won some, lost some, but it’s not about the magic touch, it’s about being a better person and a good listener.
"I met Penny in my 50s and if I had not learnt by that point in my life I was never going to."
Rod and 51-year-old Penny first crossed paths in the late 1990s when he hired the budding photographer to take photos of him while on tour.
Penny is Rod's third wife, and they have two sons together (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)He has eight children with five different mothers and has been married three times - first to Alana Stewart from 1979-1984, and the couple share two children - daughter Kimberly, 43, and son Sean, 42.
His second wife was model Rachel Hunter from 1990-2006, with whom he shares daughter Renee, 30, and son Liam, 28.
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He shares 35-year-old daughter Ruby with ex-girlfriend Kelly Emberg, and Sarah, 59, with another ex-partner, Susanna Boffey.
With Penny, Rod has sons Alastair, 17, and Aiden, 11.
She famously went out for dinner hours after childbirth, with stitches and a slipped disc, after Rod begged her not to "neglect" him in favour of their children.
Speaking about his second marriage, Rod said he learnt a lot of skills that would hold him in good stead for future relationships.
"She was 21, I was 45," he said.
Rod and Penny with Liam and his girlfriend Bella, Aiden, Renee, and Alastair"I married Rachel the same year my dad died, 1990. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. In the end I did both.
"I became a good listener when I was with Rachel, something women appreciate. Up to that point, it was my way or the highway."
Shortly before his first marriage, Rod admitted his father had told him that at 35, he was too young to be walking down the aisle.
For this reason, Rod has forbidden his own children from getting married until they are at least 30.
"I have to be several different fathers because of the different age groups of my kids," he told PEOPLE.
"You really have to treat all of them as individuals with individual problems.
"For instance, my 15-year-old is dating girls, so I had to give him a sex lesson. I just told him what he should and shouldn't do, but he's on top of it.
"He was like, 'Dad, I've got the internet. I know everything.'"
In another interview with USA Today in 2013, Rod was asked what advice he would give to his 20-year-old self.
"Maybe keep your banana in the fruit bowl a little longer," he chuckled.
"It has got me in a lot of trouble."
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