Penny Lancaster has revealed how her husband Rod Stewart is doing amid his recent health issues. The legendary singer, 81, has faced a number of health problems over the past year, including stopping a concert mid-show in the US while taking several puffs on an oxygen tank.
It was later revealed that Stewart had been suffering from an "underlying heart issue" and underwent "a routine coronary stent procedure". His representatives said doctors were pleased with his recovery, but his tour dates had to be pulled.
Full of beans
Now, Penny — who married Rod in 2007 — has shared an update on how he is doing during an appearance on Loose Women, telling her co-stars: "He is full of beans!"
Penny added: "I am trying to kind of rein him in, again, to slow down, but there's none of that. He's completely recovered from the stent that he had put in, and so now he feels like he's got a new lease of life. He's ready to go again!"
Underlying heart issue
Late last year, Penny spoke in depth about Rod's health woes. She said: "He'd gone through a couple of incidents where he had an upper respiratory infection and then he was at a concert where there was a very high altitude so it would affect anybody but what we didn't know was there was an underlying heart issue."
Speaking on Vanessa Feltz's YouTube series At Home With Vanessa, she added: "I mean, he's like one of the fittest guys I know. Forget being fit for 80 odd, he's fit for someone my age, in their fifties, you get young kids collapsing with heart issues unknown to them."
Detected in time
Penny revealed that the issue was caught at the right time. "Fortunately, it was at the right time in the right place and they detected a slight blockage that needed a stent which according to a lot of research, it appears that most people over the age of 65 will often need and require a stent," she said.
"As one gets older, most likely over the age of 65, 75, to get heart disease or to get prostate cancer. And my husband's had both. But when people say they die of natural causes that's what they mean. They die of heart disease or cancer because that's naturally...we're living longer. We're going to die of something."
Penny went on to explain that, thankfully, the issue had been found in time and Rod was "eager to get back" on stage. She noted that, despite his age, Rod still maintains a high-energy performance standard and likened his preparation routine to a boxer's, explaining that he often spends hours exercising before a show.
Loose Women airs Monday to Friday at 12:30pm on ITV1.
