An end to the wild media speculation: Penny sets the record straight

At the end of September, Sir Rod Stewart announced in a video message that he would soon be bringing his major tours to an end, and revealed that his farewell tour would take place in 2027, taking him across Europe in the summer and including several concerts in the USA.

Some media outlets subsequently speculated that, following his heart surgery in August, Rod might even have to withdraw from the music scene altogether.

In the wake of this wild speculation, Penny Lancaster has now had enough. Appearing on the TV programme “Loose Women”, the singer’s wife set the record straight on a few points.

“Everyone has jumped to conclusions,” said Penny. “It’s true that it’s his last rock ’n’ roll tour, because he’ll be 82 next year. But he won’t stop making music,” she emphasised. “I filmed the video myself back then; I can’t believe the whole world thought he was going to retire from music completely. He says quite clearly: ‘I’m not retiring’, but I think people didn’t quite pick up on that part of the video – they just panicked straight away when he said: ‘I’m very sorry to have to announce …’

Rod had been saying for a long time that he couldn’t sing ‘Da Ya Think I’m Sexy’ or ‘Hot Legs’ forever, Penny continued. She explained: “But he loves the American Songbook – an incredible series of albums he’s recorded, as well as the tracks he’s recently recorded with Jools Holland. “He wants to rekindle his love for this music and show everyone that his voice has other facets he can explore. The actual rock ’n’ roll tour that everyone knows, where he plays his classics, will come to an end after next year’s tour.” Penny went on to say that Rod is “full of energy”, despite his recent health problems due to a heart block.

“He has made a full recovery from the stent he had fitted, and he feels as though he’s been given a new lease of life.”

And then the mother-of-two said something that is sure to delight every Rod Stewart fan: “He’ll never retire; there’s no one who can slow this man down – not even me!”