Sir Rod Stewart, 81, and Penny Lancaster, 54, are one of the most enduring celebrity love stories spanning nearly three decades. The pair, who have a 26-year age gap, found love together in the late ’90s before tying the knot in 2007 and welcoming two sons together.
In June 2026, Rod and Penny will be celebrating their 19th wedding anniversary. So what’s the secret to their long-lasting romance? The singer once revealed there’s one strict rule they follow in their marriage that has changed their family dynamics with their sons.
“We don’t argue before we go to bed,” Rod said in a December 2025 interview with Woman & Home.
“And we do not argue when we’ve had a glass of wine,” he added. “If we do have arguments, it’s over real quick. And I try and teach my boys that real men can say sorry.” The couple share sons Alastair, 20, and Aiden, 14.
Penny also spoke to the publication about how she believes her openness, and how she has “encouraged Rod to do the same”, has changed their family dynamics. The model said her sons have found their dad “much easier to talk to now”.
“There’s a wonderful honesty between the two of us. Long may it last,” Rod said of his long-term love with Penny.
Penny and Rod’s enduring love
Penny and Rod started dating in 1999, got engaged in March 2005 and then tied the knot two years later in a beautiful ceremony in Portofino, Italy. Penny opened up about their decades-long love story and Rod’s support in an exclusive chat with HELLO! in September 2025.
“Maybe because he is 26 years older than me and has had a life that most haven’t – he is worldly and has travelled and met so many people – I could draw from that and trust that his advice is coming not only from a good place, but also from experience,” she said of her partner giving advice.
These days, the pair live together in a gorgeous Grade-II listed mansion on the border of Essex and Hertfordshire.
© Ron Galella Collection via GettySecret to their long-term marriage
The couple previously spoke to HELLO! in 2024 about the secret to their relationship. As for what makes their relationship special, Rod said: “We love life and make date nights for one another, among touring and family time.
“We listen to each other and try to resolve all our disagreements, the dirty laundry as Penny says, right away, and before we go to bed.”
Penny opened up to HELLO! in 2025 about spending quality time together being important: “I think the key is to continually be making the effort – and it will be a journey.”
“It’s not as if ‘we’re there’ and we’ve sewed it up; it’s a process, a daily and weekly consideration. We’re still learning, but I think you must always pay attention and check in with one another. At the beginning of a relationship, you want to show your best self, but then you get married and have kids and forget how important it was at the beginning to try to be the best person you can be.”
“We like to get dressed up for a night out. If we’re meeting friends, we often stop somewhere first and have a drink, just the two of us, so we can have a little moment together. We also have ‘date coffees’ or ‘date dog walks’, where we’ll sit on a bench and just have a moment. We’ll leave the phones indoors and find little pockets of time.”
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