Penny Lancaster was brought to tears during a recent television interview after learning a long-held secret about the early days of her relationship with rock legend Rod Stewart.
The secret that nearly kept them apart
The emotional revelation came during the opening episode of Anita Rani's My Life At Christmas for the BBC. Rod Stewart, 80, disclosed that a close friend and former bandmate deliberately withheld Penny's telephone number from him following his acrimonious split from his second wife, model Rachel Hunter.
Carmine Appice, who was the band leader and bass player at the time, believed Rod was not emotionally ready to start a new romance. "He kept her telephone away from me," Rod explained to Anita Rani, with Penny, 54, sitting beside him. "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."
Rod's heartbreak and a friend's protection
Rod Stewart has spoken openly in the past about the profound pain caused by Rachel Hunter's decision to leave their marriage in 1999. He described experiencing physical anguish, famously stating he took to lying on the sofa with a hot water bottle against his chest, finally understanding the meaning of a broken heart.
It was in this vulnerable state that he first encountered Penny Lancaster, who was studying at Barking College at the time. Carmine Appice, acting out of concern, decided to intervene. "He said 'I will give it to you when I think you are ready'," Rod recounted. The singer joked, "I should have fired him but I couldn't!"
On hearing this story, Penny became tearful, recalling Appice's reasoning: "Carmine had kept that telephone number away from him. He said 'You are going to go a bit crazy over the summer and let your hair down and Penny seems like a nice girl.'"
Building a blended family and a lasting love
Convinced she would never see the music icon again, Penny processed photos she had taken at his concert, thinking it was just a lovely memory. However, Rod eventually took the initiative to contact her himself, and their romance began to flourish. The couple welcomed their first son in 2005, married in an extravagant ceremony in 2007, and had their second son in 2011.
Penny openly discussed the delicate challenge of joining Rod's established, blended family, which includes eight children from previous relationships. "I tiptoed very lightly," she admitted. "Because there were lots of personalities, and more important there were children ranging from all ages... It was a scenario I had never faced before."
She emotionally added, "But we got there and we have got to a place that I never thought I would get to with them." Rod confirmed this, stating, "I must admit the kids adore her now, they look for her for advice."
The secret to a 25-year partnership
The interview also touched on other profound moments in their relationship, including a 2018 papal audience with Pope Francis, which Penny described as cementing their wishes and feeling like destiny.
Rod himself became emotional when asked about the key to their enduring quarter-century union. With tears in his eyes, he cited honesty and the maturity from their age difference. "We do not argue before we go to bed and we do not argue after a glass of wine," he shared. He also imparts a key lesson to his children: "I try to teach my kids, all of them, that real men say sorry, that's what they do."
The heartfelt BBC segment revealed not just a hidden chapter from their past, but the deep foundation of respect and protection that ultimately allowed their lasting love story to begin.
