Penny Lancaster addresses 'hard part' of marriage to Rod Stewart after major 'realisation'
For ex-model Penny Lancaster, dating the one of the biggest-selling pop musicians of all time was 'exciting', but she quickly realised the downside
Former model, photographer, Loose Woman and part-time special constable Penny Lancaster has a very busy home life, as wife to Sir Rod Stewart. She’s currently helping plan the veteran rocker’s 80th birthday party which, she says, will go on for “several weeks.”
She told Hello! Magazine: “We’ll start in Florida for Christmas, then we’ll go on a big ship together, heading to the Caribbean. It will be a wonderful journey.”
But being the wife of one of the biggest-selling pop musicians of all time isn’t always easy, Penny admits: “It was exciting to go out with someone who was living this extraordinary life. But I quickly realised that I would always be under scrutiny. That was the hard part.”
Penny was 27 when she met Rod at a party. A pal had dared her to ask for his autograph, and Penny went on to score a job as his tour photographer.
However, it wasn't until nine months later that Rod called to ask if he could see the pictures she had taken, and ended up inviting her out to dinner.
King Charles meets Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster
Seven years on, Rod popped the question in the world’s most romantic city – going down on one knee at the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Penny managed to balance a practical side to all the romance.
"We've been together nearly eight years now and there's not much we don't know about each other," she told The Mirror at the time.
She added: "We're entering into the seriousness of marriage and the commitment for life and we couldn't be more sure about it than now."
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A quarter of a century after that first fateful meeting, the couple’s romance is still going strong, although Penny, 26 years her husband’s junior, sometimes finds it hard to keep pace with him: "He loves what he does so much and will never retire.
“He's a workaholic and constantly on the move. I struggle to keep up with his training schedule.
"He works out three or four times a week – even on tour."
Minor differences aside, Sir Rod and Penny’s chemistry is as powerful as ever: “You need a healthy attraction,” she says.
“Rod and I can have dinner in a crowded room or just the two of us – we always have eyes for each other.”
As well as having two children with Rod, Penny is stepmother to his other children from previous relationships, and that can present the odd challenge, she admits: "There are the usual family ups and downs. You have to use a lot of diplomacy, be patient and understanding.
"In the end it's worth it because you experience this wonderful bond that only a family can have. The epicentre of it is ultimately Rod: he's the Rodfather."