When they celebrated 25 years together this June, Rod Stewart declared there were ‘no red flags’ in his relationship with wife Penny Lancaster.
But now the couple have reportedly reached a ‘stalemate’ with the rocker, 79, going back on plans to sell their $74 million Beverly Hills mansion in LA, while his wife, 53, is yearning for the ‘fresh air’ of the British countryside and wants to relocate to their palatial Essex estate.
Previously Rod – who is notorious for his penny-pinching ways – said that he would only sell his LA home for the ‘right price’, but his reluctance to part with the property seems to go beyond money.
As he approaches his 80th birthday, the singer is truly embracing California lifestyle, where he ‘flies back and forth to Vegas for his gigs, gets to spend quality time with his grandchildren and hosts a banquet dinner almost every Sunday night for a crowd of his best friends’, an insider has told dailymail.com.
Their lavish US property is more of a guilded cage for Penny, who considers the British countryside ‘home’ – not to mention having her own career in the UK. She’s a regular on the panel show Loose Women, works as a special constable for the City of London Police and delights in keeping chickens at the couple’s Essex mansion.
His opulent LA lifestyle comes despite Rod himself admitting he’s ‘shrewd’ with finances. Pictured enjoying himself by the pool
The former model was inspired to become a special constable for the City of London Police by the TV series Famous and Fighting Crime, which she appeared in
Sir Rod Stewart recently revealed his plans for his magnificent model railway set after working on the 1,500sq ft layout for two decades
Rod revealed plans to return permanently to the UK in June 2023 when he listed his 33,000-square-foot Beverly Hills abode – which also includes a three-story guesthouse, swimming pool and a sizable soccer pitch for $70 million.
He then cranked up the asking price to $80 million in December, before slashing it by $6 million in February to leave a $74 million price tag.
But the musician has since pulled the property from the market, leaving Penny fuming.
‘Penny has no plans to return to LA, which she’s not a fan of, while Rod has no plans to move back right now,’ the insider continued.
‘They’re at a stalemate and Penny is angry that Rod’s gone back on his word. It’s about saving their marriage right now.’
Only last year, it was reported Rod had grown tired of the ‘toxic’ culture in Los Angeles – where he felt that he has ‘no privacy’ – and had chosen to return full-time to his home in the UK – an enormous property called Durrington House, which he and Penny purchased for $5.8 million back in 2016.
The move was designed to support his wife Penny and their sons, who no longer wanted to deal with the ‘nuisance’ of traveling back and forth.
Rod and Penny, who tied the knot in 2007, have two sons together – Alastair, 18, and Aiden, 13 – both of whom are currently enrolled in a school in Essex, while their mother has been working as a volunteer police officer in London for the past few years.
Rod Stewart (head of table, centre left) has been hosting banquets for his close friends every Sunday at his LA mansion
The former swimwear model met the front man back in 1999 when she performed as part of his band while he was still married to his second wife Rachel Hunter. Penny pictured on Loose Women earlier this month
‘Penny loves the life she has made away from America and away from LA,’ insiders have claimed. The couple had been self-isolating together during the coronavirus crisis, and she shared a snap of their pet chicken
‘Penny loves the life she has made away from America and away from LA. She enjoys nothing more than working for the police force,’ a friend of the the family told DailyMail.com.
‘She also finds traveling to be more of a nuisance than anything and wants to just live her life as a working mom.’
Penny had recently referred to the mansion as ‘home’ on social media, where she posted a picture of herself posing in the sprawling 46 acres of land.
‘After a couple of crazy days and nights in central London, there’s nothing I like more than getting back out to the country and laying out on the cool grass on an early summers evening,’ she wrote on Instagram.
‘Breathing in fresh air and the smell of the earth beneath me. Listening to the birds and watching the butterflies, dance about while being chased by my two devoted doggies. I’m at peace, I’m home.’
The former model was inspired to become a special constable for the City of London Police by the TV series Famous and Fighting Crime, which she appeared in. She completed her training in April 2021 and began volunteering with the force soon after.
But beyond supporting his wife’s career ambitions, Rod has also reportedly chosen to make his return to the UK because he knows that is where his two sons want to be.
‘Besides, her and Rod’s boys are in no way wanting to leave their school and friends in the UK to come over to America,’ the insider continued.
The potential move marked a major shift for Rod, who has spent nearly five decades shuttling back and forth between Los Angeles and his family home in Essex.
According to the South China Morning Post , it features a lavish ‘Vegas style’ fountain and two bars – including a speakeasy-style room
Speaking to The Sun earlier this year, the rocker said he still ‘goes mad’ on alcohol after his shows
Ronnie Wood once called him as ‘tight as two coats of paint’ – but it would seem Sir Rod Stewart is finally splashing out on his luxurious LA lifestyle, while his wife looks to be yearning for the ‘fresh air’ of the British countryside. Both pictured in 2022
Rod revealed plans to relocate to his native UK in June 2023 when he listed his 33,000-square-foot Beverly Hills abode – which also includes a three-story guesthouse, swimming pool and a sizable soccer pitch for $70 million
Rod’s super-exclusive abode is some of the bougiest real estate in Los Angeles, with Rod counting Denzel Washington, Justin Bieber and Adele as neighbours.
It features a lavish ‘Vegas style’ fountain and two bars – including a speakeasy-style room.
There is a gourmet kitchen – both a tearoom and a wine room – a den with fireplaces, and a collection of oil paintings as well as a wood-paneled library.
Other design highlights include French marble, Regency-period furnishings and ornate-ceilings.
The mansion also houses Rod’s precious model railway set – and he has worked on the 1,500sq ft layout for two decades.
The impeccably detailed layout considered a masterpiece among enthusiasts, has taken decades to build and currently lives in the attic of the singer’s Los Angeles home.
It’s also a special place for Rod as that is where he raised and frequently housed his blended family.
‘This house has a very extensive family history,’ listing agent Tomer Fridman told Robb Report. ‘He raised his children there and his family lived there for 30 years.’
It’s no wonder that the house has so much historic significance to the singer. Rod’s kids, of whom he says he is extremely proud and often takes group family holidays with each summer, are an eclectic bunch, ranging from an ice hockey player to a professional dancer, several models, one Celtic-mad 13-year-old, as well as the 60-year-old daughter he gave up for adoption when he was just 18.
And impressively, Rod has managed to maintain a healthy relationship with most of their mothers too.
But it hasn’t all been plain sailing. In 2021 Stewart admitted he had to be ‘several different fathers’ due to the large age gaps between his children.
‘You really have to treat all of them as individuals with individual problems,’ he told PEOPLE. ‘As a dad, I’ve learned to listen and not blow my top.’
Penny had recently referred to the mansion as ‘home’ on social media, where she posted a picture of herself posing in the sprawling 46 acres of land
Rod and Penny, who tied the knot in 2007, have two sons together – Alastair, 18, and Aiden, 13 – both of whom are currently enrolled in a school in Essex, while their mother has been working as a volunteer police officer in London for the past few years
And it’s not just his home – Rod appears to enjoy the party lifestyle his Vegas residency promotes.
Speaking to The Sun earlier this year, the rocker said he still ‘goes mad’ on alcohol after his shows.
‘I’m not like I was in the ’70s and ’80s and I can’t stay up all night, get drunk and go mad and still have a voice just like that,’ he revealed.
‘Nowadays I have to protect my voice before and after every show. The older you get, the more you have to do that. Water has a hell of a lot to do with it. But no, you think I just have water on my rider?
‘You’re talking to Rod Stewart here, mate. We go mad after every show. There are 13 of us, six women, really great musicians and I make them drink. We absolutely love it.’
His opulent LA lifestyle comes despite Rod himself admitting he’s ‘shrewd’ with finances.
‘Some people may call me tight,’ he told Esquire in 2013. ‘My old pal Ronnie Wood loves making jokes about it. “Tight as two coats of paint,” he calls me. Tight as two coats of paint!’
In an interview with the Mail On Sunday‘s Event magazine in 2020, his ex Britt Ekland quipped that Rod gave her ‘nothing’ during their time together.
‘I had to pay $100 a month board and lodgings when I was living with him. I would go shopping with him and watch him buy clothes from Yves Saint Laurent but nothing for me’, she said.
However, it seems the famously ‘tight’ Rod seems to be more willing to splash out in recent years – perhaps influenced by his extravagant American adventures.
Just earlier this year he left staff at a five-star hotel in Perthshire with a £10,000 tip – and told them to bet it on Scotland taking home the trophy in the Euros 2024.
His super-exclusive abode is some of the bougiest real estate in Los Angeles, with Rod considering Denzel Washington, Justin Bieber and Adele as neighbours, the New York Times reports
His hesitation to leave the States behind comes after he last year had reportedly grown tired of what he sees as the ‘toxic’ culture in Los Angeles . Pictured earlier this month
Rod moved to the City of Angels in 1975 – a decade after starting his solo career. Shortly after hopping ponds, he talent launched him to superstardom. Pictured earlier this month
The former swimwear model met the front man back in 1999 when she performed as part of his band while he was still married to his second wife Rachel Hunter.
Hunter and Stewart separated that year and divorced in 2006. He had previously been married to Alana Stewart.
A second source had in past shared that the chart-topper – who has eight children by five women – has the full support all all his kids, daughters Sarah Streeter, 60, Kimberly, 45, Ruby, 37, and Renee, 32, and sons Sean, 43, Liam, 29, Alastair and Aiden.
‘They all know how happy him and Penny are living there and that is all they want is for their father to be happy.’
DailyMail.com contacted Rod’s spokesperson for comment at the time.
Rod moved to the City of Angels in 1975 – a decade after starting his solo career. Shortly after hopping ponds, he talent launched him to superstardom.
During his career, he has had 11 number one singles and 12 number one albums – selling more than 130 million copies.
‘Rod has always considered Britain to be his home. Los Angeles was everything that he needed it to be for that time in his life, but it is obvious that he does not favor LA anymore. It has just gotten so toxic and he has zero privacy in the city.’
On May 9 last year, Rod’s daughter Ruby welcomed Otis Stewart Kalick with her fiancé Jake Kalic.
And then, days later on May 12, Rod’s ice hockey player son Liam and his partner Nicole Ann, revealed the arrival of their first son Louie.
He shared photos recently with both of his grandbabies and looked absolutely elated. As fans know, he is constantly sharing family updates on his social media.
Rod first became a grandfather in 2011, when his daughter Kimberly and actor Benicio Del Toro welcomed a daughter, Delilah, who’s now 13.
The Stewart clan got together at St Ignatius Church in Dubrovnik in Croatia for the wedding of Rod’s son Liam. Pictured: 1. Sean , 2. Aiden, 3. Alastair, 4. Liam, 5. Renee, 6. Ruby. Not pictured are his daughters Kimberly and Sarah Streeter
‘Rod is so devoted to his family and is very close with all of them,’ the insider added. ‘He is at an amazing place in his life and is elated about being a grandfather to his three grandchildren.’
Still, his seemingly wavering decision to leave Los Angeles for good is a bittersweet one.
As fans who follow his famous family know, Rod purchased his LA mansion in 1991, while he was married to model Rachel Hunter.
He paid $12 million for the land and built the Beverly Hills property from the ground up. The massive 33,000 square foot abode, which was designed by famous California architect Richard Landry, has been his home since.
Rod’s refusal to up sticks follows the extension of his 13-year Las Vegas Residency, The Hits, at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
The Sailing singer announced The Encore Shows earlier this month, which will see him return to the iconic venue for 12 dates in March, May and June next year.
It comes after he cancelled two dates in the North American leg of his tour this month as well as his August 7 performance for his Las Vegas residency, which would have been the 200th show, due to strep throat.