Rod Stewart is turning 80 on January 10 (Image: WireImage)
is hitting a personal milestone as he marks his 80th birthday this week.
The legendary vocalist, renowned for his iconic spiky hairdo, will celebrate the significant date on 10 January, yet he remains far from bidding adieu to a six-decade-spanning career that boasts an astonishing 120 million record sales worldwide.
His birthday festivities are in the capable hands of wife who has hinted at organising a string of celebratory events anticipated to extend over “several weeks”. Believed to have enjoyed Christmas at their Palm Beach domicile in Florida, it’s understood the couple set sail for the Caribbean well in time for Rod’s jubilant occasion.
She paid tribute to her husband on on his birthday, penning: “Happy birthday my darling. So blessed to be sharing this day together with all our kids. Building more memories to carry with us into the future and to be held close to our hearts forever, I love you.”
It’s widely expected they’ll be accompanied by a host of Rod’s offspring during the celebrations, including those shared with 53 year old Penny: Alastair, 19, and Aiden, 13, alongside his four daughters and two sons from prior liaisons Sarah, 61, Kimberly, 45, Ruby, 37, Renee, 32, Sean, 44, and Liam, 30. Likely joining the revelry are Rod’s trio of grandchildren Delilah, also 13, and Otis and Louie, both at 19 months, reports .
Rod Stewart says he has “no plan to retire” (Image: Instagram)
Affectionately dubbed the “Rodfather” by his vast family, Rod once expressed how the varying ages of his children necessitate him being “several different fathers” simultaneously.
Rod Stewart credits his youthful vigour to his large, blended family and once remarked, “If there’s a fountain of youth, it’s children.”
The lifelong Celtic fan, even now, keeps active by playing football with his children, recently stating, “I’ve always played soccer, and I still do. I play with my kids as well. I keep myself really fit. I work out a bit. I’m mad about nutrition, watching my weight and everything. So I do work at it, and I think that helps a lot.”
Despite being 27 years his junior, Rod’s wife, the former model and Loose Women star Penny, admits that keeping pace with him can be challenging. “He’s a workaholic and constantly on the move,” she has expressed.
Penny has previously called her husband a “workaholic” (Image: Getty Images for Wolfie’s Whisky/The Barbershop Las Vegas)
“I struggle to keep up with his training schedule. He works out three or four times a week – even on tour.”
Penny and Rod’s paths crossed in 1999 when she was working as a photographer and he consented to having her photograph him while on tour.
At that time, Rod was in the process of separating from his second wife, model and actress Rachel Hunter, with whom he has two children, Renee and Liam. Prior to this, he was married to actress Alana Stewart, with whom he has two children, Kimberly and Sean.
Devoted as ever, Rod has described Penny as “the most gorgeous woman I have ever had in my life” and proposed to her atop Pariss Eiffel Tower in March 2005. Recalling the event, Penny said, “I opened the box and he had bought me the most amazing princess-cut diamond engagement ring. It was classic and striking. I was stunned, threw my arms around him, and burst into tears.”
Rod Stewart has battled a number of health issues over the years (Image: Daily Record)
They tied the knot in the picturesque Italian village of Portofino in 2007, surrounded by a small circle of their nearest and dearest. Celebrating their 17th wedding anniversary last June, Rod took to social media to express his joy, writing, “25 years together and no red flags.”
Their bond appears unbreakable, with Penny remarking, “Rod and I can have dinner in a crowded room or just the two of us – we always have eyes for each other.”
Penny also shared insights into their relationship dynamics during her stint on in 2007, where she disclosed Rod’s bouts of jealousy as he watched her dance with partner Ian Waite. “I’ve lost my wife, she’s in the arms of another man,” he would lament.
“She’s spending five to six hours a day with another man.”
Rod is sure to have a big family celebration for his 80th (Image: Instagram)
Born in Highgate, London, in 1945 to Scottish father Robert and English mother Elsie, Rod was the youngest of five siblings, recalling his childhood as “fantastically happy”. He received his first guitar at 15 and would frequently busk to earn money.
Rod played in several successful bands, including the Dimensions and the Faces, but it was as a solo artist that his career truly soared, with Maggie May securing his first No. 1 in 1971.
He has achieved 10 No. 1 albums and 31 Top 10 singles, and in 2019, he became the oldest male to top the album chart with You’re In My Heart, accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
However, Rod’s life has not been without challenges, having battled cancer twice. In 2000, he underwent surgery for thyroid cancer, which required him to relearn how to sing.
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Then, in 2016, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, receiving the all-clear in 2019. These experiences have driven his passionate support for the City of Hope Foundation, which seeks to find a cure for cancer.
In 2020, Rod also revealed that he had undergone knee replacement and ankle fusion surgery following a football injury.
Despite these setbacks, with an upcoming residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Rod shows no signs of slowing down his energetic stage performances. “I don’t see any possibility of slowing down anytime soon,” says Rod, whose latest album Swing Fever, a collaboration with Jools Holland, was released last February.
“As I get older, I only really want to do things that give me great pleasure.”
When his Glastonbury appearance was announced in November, Rod expressed his delight on , proclaiming, “After all these years, I’m proud and ready and more than able to take the stage again to pleasure and titillate my friends at Glastonbury in June. I’ll see you there! “.
Nonetheless, the vibrant rocker acknowledges he’s had to ease off lately, confessing in an interview last summer, “I’m not like I was in the 70s and 80s and I can’t stay up all night, get drunk and go mad and still have a voice just like that.”
Yet, Rod shows no concern about the end of life, revealing last year, “I’m aware my days are numbered but I’ve got no fear. We have all got to pass on at some point, so we are all in the same basket.”
His carefree stance suggests he may very well be jubilantly marking his 90th birthday ten years hence. “I am going to enjoy myself for these last few years as much as I can,” he avows.
“I say few probably another 15. I can do that easy mate, easy.”!