Rod Stewart on how marriage to Penny Lancaster changed after she joined police

11 February 2024 , 07:00

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They say that behind every successful man, there’s a strong woman – and that couldn’t ring truer for singer Rod Stewart (Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images for Ann)

They say that behind every successful man, there’s a strong woman – and that couldn’t ring truer for singer Rod Stewart.

The legend, 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.” Rod cheekily admits that things have stepped up a notch since ex-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 he’s “so, so proud” of Penny, who was on policing duties during Elizabeth II’s funeral and the coronation of King Charles.

Rod said Penny has become more bossy since joining the police (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Lan)

Penny, 52, became a special police constable for the Met Police in April 2021 (penny.lancaster/Instagram)

The couple, who are parents to Alastair, 18, and Aiden, 12, met in 1999 when Rod agreed to let budding photographer Penny take pictures of him while he was on tour. Romance blossomed and Rod popped the question in 2005 at the top of the Eiffel Tower. They tied the knot in 2007 in Italy and renewed their vows a decade later in Australia.

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Rod had two wives and six children with four different women before they got together. He has daughter Sarah, 60, with ex-love 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 daughter Renee, 31,
and son Liam, 29.

But despite a brief split in the early days of their relationship, Penny tamed Rod and the pair have gone from strength to strength.

Rod tells us they’ll be celebrating Valentine’s Day in Florida. Sharing an insight, he reveals, “Over the years I’ve bought my wife diamonds because I’ve got the money to do what she loves. Gold and diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but I’m not inventive when it comes to gifts! Whereas to my wife, I go, ‘For a guy that has everything… how did you manage to get me that?’ She’s just extraordinary.”

Career-wise, Rod has been delighting fans for over 60 years. He’s had 10 No1 albums, 31 top 10 UK singles and embarked on 15 worldwide tours, but is showing no signs of slowing down. The fervent Scotland and Celtic football fan, who grew up in London’s Highgate, has drawn on his Scottish heritage to take on a new challenge – the launch of his whisky label, Wolfie’s.

The couple, who are parents to Alastair, 18, and Aiden, 12, met in 1999 (Daily Record)

It might seem unusual given that Rod swore off the spirit in his teen years. “When I was 15 or 16, I got very drunk on whisky – I didn’t want to chase it for a long time,” he says.

However, after a chance meeting with his business partner Duncan Frew, he was convinced to give it another go. “I was introduced to Duncan by a friend of ours named Johnny Mack. He has a band in Glasgow, but the connection between us is that we’re all Celtic fans. I’d always wanted to do something in the alcohol business, so when Duncan came up with this idea for the whisky, I said, ‘Let’s do it!’”

What followed were months of planning and research to try to get the flavour of the tipple right. And the attention to detail on the bottle shows as there’s a lyric from Rod’s 1991 hit Rhythm Of My Heart engraved on the bottom.

It’s a real family affair too as son Alastair is helping to produce promotional content for the brand, and Penny is using her expertise to oversee the look of every photo shoot.

But despite this new feather in Rod’s cap, music remains his first love, and he’s got a new album, Swing Fever, which he worked on with Jools Holland. Rod reveals the collaboration came about thanks to the pair’s shared love of trains.

“Jools is a model railway man himself and that’s what brought us together, not to do the album,” he says. “It was the model railroad and then we said, ‘Well, let’s make an album together too!’”

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Giving an insight into what to expect, he adds, “It’s a swing album. It’s all wonderful songs from the 30s and 40s. It’s really uplifting, which I think people need these days.”

Phoebe Tonks