Penny Lancaster was moved to tears as she revisited the poignant beginnings of her enduring romance with music legend Rod Stewart in a heartfelt new BBC festive special.
A Love Story Nine Months in the Making
The couple first crossed paths in 1999, when Lancaster was a student at Barking College and Stewart was performing. Despite exchanging numbers, it would be a further nine months before the singer made contact. The delay, as revealed in the first episode of series two of Anita Rani's My Life At Christmas, was a deliberate act of protection by Stewart's band leader.
"Carmine Appice kept her telephone away from me," Rod Stewart explained. "He didn't think I was in the right position because I had just got a divorce and didn't know if I was coming or going." Lancaster, now 54, recalled thinking she would never see Stewart again after the long silence. "I remember processing those photos I took of Rod and thinking, what a lovely memory and that was that," she shared, becoming emotional.
Navigating a Blended Family with Care
When they finally began dating, Penny entered a complex family dynamic. Prior to welcoming their sons Alistair (born 2005) and Aiden (born 2011), Rod, now 80, was already a father to six children from previous relationships. The pair married in 2007.
Discussing this challenge, Lancaster broke down again, describing how she "tiptoed very lightly" among children ranging from five-year-old Liam to Kimberly, who was about to turn 21. "It was a scenario I had never faced before," she said. "It took a long time, but we got there and we have got to a place that I never thought I would get to with them." Stewart affirmed this, stating, "I must admit the kids adore her now, they look for her for advice."
The Emotional Secret to a Quarter-Century Together
The interview was filled with raw emotion, culminating in both partners shedding tears. Lancaster was overcome recounting a 2018 meeting with Pope Francis, which she described as a moment that "cemented" their destiny after he placed his hands over theirs.
Rod Stewart himself grew tearful as he disclosed the key to their 25-year relationship. "We do not argue before we go to bed and we do not argue after a glass of wine," he said. Highlighting the role of their age difference, he noted a mutual exchange of maturity and honesty. His voice breaking, he added a crucial lesson: "I try to teach my kids, all of them, that real men say sorry, that's what they do. There is a wonderful honesty between us and long may it last."
