Rod Stewart's wild life – £300m fortune, footballer fame and secret cancer battle

Sir Rod Stewart is set to delight audiences as he prepares to perform at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Concert on Saturday, May 4, 2022.

He’s no stranger to meeting The Queen, after receiving a knighthood in recognition of his services to music and charity at Buckingham Palace on October 11, 2016.

Not only is he one of the biggest names in showbusiness, but in recent years, he has also revealed a few of his secret passions away from music – as well as sharing the secret behind his long lasting marriage to model Penny Lancaster, and talking openly about his battle with cancer.

As Rod prepares to send crowds wild with his iconic performance at the Platinum Jubilee Concert, Daily Star takes a closer look inside his life.

Football fame

Not only is Rod Stewart a talented musician, but he also displayed a flair for football from a young age.

Taking after his father, who played in a local football team and had also been a manager, Rod became captain of his school’s football team and also played for Middlesex Schoolboys team too.

That’s not all, as Rod’s life could have taken a very different turn, after he was put forward for football trials at Brentford F.C in 1960.

However, it was not meant to be, with Rod revealing in his 2012 autobiography that he was never called back following his trail for the club.

Despite this, he has still taken part in a few football matches, including playing for LA Exiles in a senior football league based in California.

In an interview with The Scottish Sun, Rod also explained that playing football saved him after drinking and taking drugs in his career, saying: “Football sort of saved me a little bit.”

“Up until seven years ago I was still playing football Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights.

“Especially Sunday mornings, I couldn’t do drugs and drink too much, because it would have ruined my game.”

He added: “But football has helped me so much and I miss it so much, not playing.”

Huge net worth

Before he was a global megastar, Rod played in a number of rhythm and blues bands in London in the early sixties, before becoming a songwriter and vocalist in the Jeff Beck group between 1967-1969.

However as the seventies dawned, Rod launched a successful solo career with albums including Every Picture Tells A Story in 1971, featuring the smash hit Maggie May – as well as becoming a singer in huge rock act Faces, whose singles included Stay With Me.

By 1975, the singer had reached new heights of fame, releasing songs including You’re In My Heart in 1977, followed by hits in subsequent years including Do Ya Think I’m Sexy and Hot Legs.

His success continued throughout the eighties with hits including Baby Jane and Some Guys Have All The Luck, as well as collaborating on All For Love from Disney’s The Three Musketeers in 1993 with fellow stars Bryan Adams and Sting.

After being inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1994 by friend and collaborator Jeff Beck, Rod has continued his success with a string of albums including Merry Christmas, Baby, Time and most recently, The Tears Of Hercules in 2021.

It is not surprise then that Rod has amassed an eye-watering net worth throughout his career, which is currently estimated to be £300m, thanks to his sale of over 250 million records worldwide.

Wild romances

Rod Stewart has had a number of high profile relationships throughout his life, including with swedish actress Britt Ekland, models Alana Stewart and Kelly Emberg, as well as actress and TV host Rachel Hunter.

He also has eight children from his relationships, including daughter Sarah born in 1963 with Susannah Boffey.

After dating Jennie Rylance and Dee Harrington in the mid sixties and early seventies, Rod had a two year romance with actress Britt Ekland from 1975-1977 and later married another actress, Alana Stewart in 1979.

Rod and Alana had two children together called Kimberley and Sean, before the couple divorced in 1984.

The singer’s seven year romance with model Kelly Emberg between 1983-1990 also welcomed a third daughter called Ruby, in 1987.

Following his split with Kelly, Rod had a 16 year marriage to TV host and actress Rachel Hunter, with who he had two children called Renee and Liam.

Penny Lancaster marriage

One year after his relationship to Rachel ended, Rod married wife and model Penny Lancaster in 2007 and the couple share two sons called Aiden and Alastair.

The pair originally met when Rod hired Penny to take photographs of him while on tour in 1990, and following his split from Rachel Hunter, the couple embarked on their romance – with Rod eventually proposing to Penny on top of the Eiffel Tower.

Despite their sweet marriage, Rod revealed that the couple’s two week break-up inspired him to record Picture In A Frame, to prove his feelings for Penny.

He told Life Magazine: “Penny and I broke up for two weeks and the song is about that time.

“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.”

Penny Lancaster has spoken fondly about her husband on many occasions during her appearances on Loose Women, including the Christmas outfit she sometimes wears for him, saying: “Just to lift his mood, I put a lady Christmas outfit on. It puts a big smile on his face.”

Rod also revealed to People Magazine the secret behind their long lasting romance – kisses and cuddles in the morning.

He said: “I’m not talking about sex, but a kiss and a cuddle and a hold.

“Penny and I do that every morning. We hug each other — sometimes in bed, sometimes out of bed, all throughout the day.

“It’s a wonderful relationship. Lucky geezer, aren’t I?”

Cancer battle

In 2019, the star revealed he also had a secret two year battle with prostrate cancer.

The 74-year-old singer was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February 2016 during a routine check-up, but added that he has been in remission since July 2019.

He revealed the news at a Prostrate Cancer fundraising event in 2019, saying: “Two years ago I was ­diagnosed with prostate cancer. No one knows this, but I thought this was about time I told everybody.

“I’m in the clear, now, simply because I caught it early. I have so many tests.”

The star added: “Guys, you’ve got to really go to the doctor. Finger up the bum, no harm done.

“If you’re positive, and you work through it and you keep a smile on your face… I’ve worked for two years and I’ve just been happy, and the good Lord looked after me.”

Railway hobby

Away from the limelight, Rod indulges in his passion for model railways and has a huge layout at his home, which depicts New York Central station and the Pennsylvania railroads, along with cities like Chicago.

He has been working on the model for over 23 years and unveiled the project in an exclusive interview with Railway Modeler Magazine.

Speaking on the Jeremy Vine Show, he said: “I would say 90% of it I built myself. The only thing I wasn’t very good at and still am not is the electricals, so I had someone else do that.”

During the time it took Rod to build the layout, he has released 13 studio albums and been on 19 tours.

He added: “A lot of people laugh at it being a silly hobby, but it’s a wonderful hobby.”

Even fellow music stars have called Jeremy Vine’s show to praise Rod Stewart’s model railway layouts, with Jools Holland saying: “When you get these big scale ones like Sir Rod’s they are like a work of art.

“They’re like an amazing painting that’s been created in three dimensions.”

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk