Rod Stewart’s marriage to Penny Lancaster in 2007 has been a journey of love, challenges, and inspiration for his music. The couple, blessed with two children, faced a rocky period when Penny left Rod for two weeks.
During this time, Rod found solace in a photo of Penny, which he looked at every night and morning. In an emotional revelation to Australian magazine Life, the 76-year-old singer shared: “I covered Tom Waits’ Picture In A Frame.”
He added, “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.”
Despite the brief separation, the couple mended their relationship and are now happily residing in Essex.
The experience moved Rod so deeply that he immortalised it in his album ‘Time’. Reflecting on his romantic history, Rod admitted to taking many risks but has since gleaned important lessons, such as honesty being key with women, who also dislike smoking and gambling, reports Essex Live.
He divulged his golden rule for a harmonious relationship: “My relationship rule is, ‘Don’t argue after a glass of wine – leave debating until the morning,'” and emphasised the importance of being a good listener rather than just having a ‘magic touch’.
The rockstar has opened up about his colourful love life, revealing that it was with Penny in his 50s when he finally came to a significant realisation: “I met Penny in my 50s and if I had not learnt by that point in my life I was never going to.”
The couple’s story goes back to the late 1990s, where Penny, then an emerging photographer, caught his eye while being commissioned to photograph him on tour. As Rod’s third wife and the fifth woman with whom he’s fathered children, Penny holds a special place.
His romantic history includes a five-year run with first wife Alana Hamilton starting in 1979, sharing two kids, followed by his former supermodel second wife Rachel Hunter from 1990-2006 with whom he has a daughter, Renee, 29, and son Liam, 27. There is also 34 year old daughter Ruby born of his relationship with Kelly Emberg, and daughter Sarah, 58, who was raised by his ex Susanna Boffey.
With the striking Penny, Rod celebrates life with sons Alastair, 16, and Aiden, 10. Despite past mistakes, it’s his time with Rachel that Rod acknowledges for teaching him vital relationship skills, insisting: “I became a good listener when I was with Rachel, something women appreciate. Up to that point, it was my way or the highway.”
Echoing bittersweet tones, the singer shared how “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.”
In a final note of wisdom drawn from his own dad’s advice, Rod, who is approaching 77 years of age, has placed a firm family rule, prohibiting any of his eight children from marrying before 30, marking a stark contrast from his own journey down the aisle at 35.
Rod opened up about the complexities of fatherhood given the wide age range of his children. “I have to be several different fathers because of the different age groups of my kids,” he shared with PEOPLE, emphasising the importance of treating each child as an individual.
However, in a 2013 interview with USA Today, when asked what advice he would give to his younger self, he quipped: “Maybe keep your banana in the fruit bowl a little longer,” adding with a chuckle, “It has got me in a lot of trouble.”