Penny Lancaster has made an emotional admission: she was prepared to walk away from her marriage to Rod Stewart if he hadn’t agreed to have children with her.
The model, 54, has been married to the 80-year-old rock legend for 18 years, but she revealed that when they first started dating, Rod was reluctant to expand his family — already a father to six children with four different women.
Rod’s children include daughter Sarah Streeter, 60, with former girlfriend Susannah Boffey; Kimberly, 45, and Sean, 44, with his ex-wife Alana Stewart; Ruby, 37, with Kelly Emberg; and Renee, 32, with Rachel Hunter.
“I Would Have Left Him”
When asked if she truly would have ended things had Rod refused to have children, Penny admitted: “Yes. And that would have been very hard. But we just went with the flow.”
She revealed that Rod eventually came around, later regretting not agreeing sooner: “Even five years ago we were talking about adopting, but it ended up not happening. We thought there might be too much of an age gap.”
The IVF Struggles
Despite Penny’s determination, her journey to motherhood wasn’t easy. After suffering a miscarriage, she and Rod turned to IVF before finally welcoming their two sons: Alastair, now 19, and Aiden, 14.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Penny praised Rod’s unwavering support: “There are so many injections — one in the stomach, one in the bottom. I was injecting myself backstage at Rod’s shows, on planes, at home — wherever it was needed. Rod was patient, committed, and he always told me, ‘Darling, if you want to keep going, I’m right behind you.’”
She added that even during the toughest times, Rod’s humor helped lighten the load: “He always jokes about how the doctor looked at his sperm under a microscope. One had two heads, another had a couple of feet. It still makes us laugh.”
Breaking the Silence on Fertility
The former Loose Women star, now a Special Constable, stressed the importance of speaking openly about fertility struggles: “For women and men to talk about it, to share the serious side but also put some humor back into it, that makes the journey easier.”
How It All Began
Penny also recalled the first time she met Rod, which felt more like fate than chance. At a Christmas party, a friend dared her to ask for his autograph — and it turned out to be Rod Stewart.
At the time, Rod was still reeling from his split with Rachel Hunter, but within six months he and Penny became inseparable. Rod himself later admitted: “There were six months between Rachel and Penny because my bass player wouldn’t give me her number. He said I’d just ‘mess around’ — and he was right, I had a splendid time.”
A Happy Ending After Heartbreak
Today, Rod gushes that Penny has “everything” he ever wanted. Despite the rocky start, the heartbreak of miscarriage, and the exhausting IVF journey, the couple now share two sons and nearly two decades of marriage.
Looking back, Penny admits the road wasn’t easy, but insists it was worth every struggle: a love story forged in resilience, patience, and a fight to build the family they always dreamed of.
