Online Reporter
LONDON. — Nearly 50 years after he sang ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?’, you might expect octogenarian rocker Sir Rod Stewart to be more interested in his beloved model trains than getting steamy with his wife.
But TV personality Penny Lancaster, 55, says the pair are still in the honeymoon period more than a quarter century after meeting — and have the sex life to prove it.
“We still excite each other. If anything, that aspect of our relationship gets better as time goes on,” says the former model, who once confessed on Loose Women that Rod would lick her toes when they first dated.
“It’s become more spiritual and intimate. It’s deepened.
“Rod and I are very, very romantic. We like dressing up for each other — Rod takes great care with his appearance, which I think is very sexy. “So is the fact that he doesn’t take himself too seriously, and he doesn’t have a lazy bone in his body. That’s sexy, too!”
Penny — who met Rod in 1999 when he hired her as a tour photographer, becoming his third wife in 2007 – says the duo stay hot for each other by putting the effort in.
“We really spoil each other,” says Penny, also known as Lady Stewart due to her husband’s knighthood.
“For instance, for our last wedding anniversary we took a very romantic train trip from Paris to Portofino because Rod proposed to me in Paris and we got married in Portofino.
“We love reminiscing about our life together and also making plans for the future —more romantic trips.
“For some couples, this isn’t how they work — they’d find it a bit too much — but not me and Rod.
“We lay it on thick. The more romantic it is, the better.
“We have such a great connection on every level — there’s such an energy between us, so much so that you start feeling that it was totally meant to be.”
Reformed lothario Rod declared his adoration of his Essex-born wife in an interview with The Sun last year — saying regular sex and cuddles was one reason they’ve stayed together, despite the fame and 26-year age gap.
“Apart from the visuals of Penny, she’s tough but not too tough and she doesn’t take any nonsense from me,” he said.
“She’s also a great mum — the whole package as far as I’m concerned.
“We hug every time we have to go away from each other and we always have a cuddle at night even if we’re not having sex.
“And we never go to bed without kissing each other good night.”
Countless famous couples have come a cropper due to long periods of separation with work — and the temptations that come with it.
But Penny says the old saying ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ was true for them.
“We’re about to be reunited after three weeks apart and we can’t wait to be with each other,” she reveals.
“We’re desperately missing each other and have been counting down the days —and nights.
“Rod generally has a driver pick him up from the airport but we’ve agreed that I’ll meet him because we can’t wait to see each other.
“Right from the start of our 26 years together, we’ve spent time apart. The first year, for instance, I was in the UK studying photography while he was living in the US.
“We’d spend hours and hours on the phone, talking about everything — including photography and paintings.
“Rod has a deeply spiritual, sensitive and artistic side. That’s what he’s like underneath it all.
“He can be demanding and does require a lot of attention but that’s fine because I’m good at giving it. He also gives me a lot of attention back. It works both ways.
“Spending time apart and being involved in our own projects helps keep our relationship and marriage fresh and exciting.”
MARRIAGE SUCCESS
Penny has talked on TV about using testosterone gel to “feel virile” after she feared the menopause would kill her libido.
But flirting is another of her secrets to marriage success — a skill the couple hone on regular date nights. “It’s what works for us,” says Penny, who has two sons with Rod — Alastair, 20, and Aiden, 15 — and is stepmum to his older six kids.
“We make sure we have date nights — dinner, the theatre or whatever, doing the school run together and having an ‘a deux’ coffee on the way home.
“We flirt and make each other laugh. Moments where it’s just the two of us and we’re not surrounded by other people — be they family, friends or work colleagues.”
Letting the other be their own person and encouraging their passions is another way they keep the flames of passion alive.
“You fell in love with each other for a reason, but quite often life takes over and you lose yourself – who you once were — in the process.
“I’m very dedicated as a wife and mother, and end up being a million different things and at the centre of it all. But you need to take care of yourself, too. You need to do your own thing and maintain your own identity.
“It shows a lot of confidence and resilience — attributes that Rod found attractive about me in the first place. We realised very early on in our relationship that, taking experiences from past relationships and learning from them, we should always be honest with each other.
“Also, to allow the other to shine in our own way.
“Rod is very good at supporting me and championing me. When I don’t feel confident enough about doing something, he encourages me.
“We have similar values and are on the same page when it comes to things like parenting. We also have the same kind of work ethic.”
Rod has publicly declared his pride at Penny becoming a volunteer special constable with City of London Police five years ago, after appearing in TV show Famous and Fighting Crime.
He called her “super brave” for patrolling the streets and talking suicidal people off bridges —and admitted turning up to check on her in his The megastar also denounced disgraced Masterchef presenter Gregg Wallace for his behaviour towards Penny when she was a contestant in 2021.
He wrote on social media: “You humiliated my wife when she was on the show, but you had that bit cut out didn’t you?
“You’re a tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully. Karma got ya.”
The paperback of Penny’s memoir Someone Like Me was published recently and she rejoined the Loose Women panel in 2024, after a five-year break from the regular line up.
The ITV show has been marred in controversy following production cutbacks that include ditching the live audience and special guests.
But while some of the show’s outspoken stars have reportedly complained about the new format, Penny says she enjoys it. — Sun Club
