Lady Penny Lancaster has opened up about how Sir Rod Stewart looks after his health after battling cancer twice.
The 81-year-old rock star is now in remission after being diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2000 and prostate cancer in 2017.
Speaking on Loose Women yesterday, Ms Lancaster suggested that men are often the “worst culprits” when it comes to avoiding medical appointments, but her husband defies the norm.
She explained: “He’s in the doctors’ all the time, so he doesn’t waste time.
Penny Lancaster said Sir Rod is in the doctors’ all the time”
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ITV
“He’s in the gym, he’s at the doctors’, he wants to go on forever.
“But 26 years ago, when he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, that was a huge shock to him, and then prostate cancer about 10 years ago,” she told the panel.
The TV personality also spoke candidly about the lasting psychological impact of such diagnoses.
“Once you have cancer as a diagnosis, it’s like a little black shadow that hangs over you,” she said.
ITV Loose Women panel
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ITV
Sir Rod’s fitness routine also goes beyond the usual gym sessions, with an unusual underwater training method thrown into the mix.
“He said it was Frank Sinatra who told him to help with the lung capacity, swim underwater, train underwater, so that’s why he does it,” Ms Lancaster shared.
Ms Lancaster described her husband as a “fitness freak” who has long prioritised staying in shape, crediting that discipline with helping him navigate the excesses of the rock and roll lifestyle.
The singer has recently embarked on another tour.
Penny Lancaster and Sir Rod Stewart have been married for 17 years
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His continued schedule comes despite undergoing major procedures in recent years, including knee replacement surgery and an ankle fusion, both linked to injuries sustained through his lifelong love of football.
He has also faced minor setbacks, including strep throat and Covid.
Ms Lancaster concluded that her husband’s lifelong dedication to fitness has been central to his longevity.
“I think that’s why he’s sort of survived the rock and roll years because he wanted to always be fit for a Sunday morning football game,” she observed.
The revelations come just months after Ms Lancaster broke down in tears during an interview for Anita Rani’s My Life At Christmas as she and Sir Rod reflected on their 25-year love story.
The couple first met in 1999, though their romance was delayed after his bandmate withheld her number following his divorce.
Ms Lancaster admitted: “I really thought that was the last I would see of Rod.”
She also became emotional, recalling how she carefully navigated life with his six children, saying: “I tiptoed very lightly.”
Sir Rod Stewart
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The tears flowed again as they remembered meeting Pope Francis in 2018, with Ms Lancaster describing the moment as “very powerful.”
Sir Rod later shared the advice he gives his children: “I try to teach my kids, all of them, that real men say sorry, that’s what they do.”