How Rod Stewart coped with Penny Lancaster split thanks to emotional request

13 January 2025, 11:43

The ‘Maggie May’ singer briefly split with the Loose Women star during the early days of their relationship.

Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster have enjoyed an over two-decade-long love story, but despite their current close bond, the famous pair nearly split up many years ago.

The pair’s relationship began in 1999, when Penny met Rod after getting hired to photograph him on tour.

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Rod soon asked for the young woman’s phone number, and the pair began dating that year.

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Having met while Rod was split from (but still married to) his second wife Rachel Hunter, the pair continued dating for several years as the ‘Sailing’ star finalised his divorce.

Rod proposed to Penny in March 2005, and in November 2005 they welcomed their first child, Alastair.

The pair married in June 2007, and then welcomed their second child, Aiden, in February 2011.

All along, Rod and Penny’s relationship appeared to be flourishing, however, in 2013 Rod opened up to Australia’s Life magazine about how he and his model wife almost didn’t make it through one tough time in the early days of their marriage.

Rod revealed that the pair once split up for two weeks as he discussed his then-latest album, Time.

On the album, the rock singer covered Tom Waits’ ‘Picture in a Frame’ specifically because he wanted to reference the emotional way in which he dealt with his and Penny’s brief split.

“Penny and I broke up for two weeks and the song is about that time,” Rod told Life in 2013.

“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 explained.

Picture In A Frame

Thankfully, the couple soon reconciled after this brief split, and will be celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary this summer.

In his Life interview, the now 80-year-old star also gave his tips for a good marriage.

“My relationship rule is: Don’t argue after a glass of wine – leave debating until the morning,” he said.

"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."

In 2017, the happy couple renewed their wedding vows as a sign of their enduring love for each other.

“Being able to reflect on those ten years, and say those words to one another and still know we mean them is important. This felt more special,” Penny said about the occasion in a Hello! magazine interview at the time.

“You get married with the hope that you'll be together; when we renewed our vows, we said them not with just hope, but with reassurance. Along with hope, there is also faith, love and bringing all the family together.”

Rod agreed, adding: “Penny is my whole world... Love means many things to many people but to me, it's wanting to share everything with the one you love and I love Penny more now than ever, if that is at all possible.”