Penny Lancaster provides update on husband Rod Stewart after heart operation

Jacob Stolworthy Tue, September 1, 2026 at 7:26 AM UTC

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Penny Lancaster has shared a health update on her husband Sir Rod Stewart, saying he will “come back stronger than ever” following a heart operation and the cancellation of his 2026 US tour.

The 81-year-old singer had embarked on his final tour when he underwent a coronary stent procedure and was forced to take four weeks off to recover.

Lancaster has reassured fans worried about the singer that “he’s back at full speed in his day-to-day activities, but doctor’s orders were to kind of postpone or cancel the current tour, because you know the risk factors involved”.

She added that she “did have to explain to the doctor what Rod’s performances are like”, as “he doesn’t just sit down on a stool or behind a piano, he runs around for nearly two hours with four different costume changes because he’s sweating through everything”.

Sir Rod Stewart cancelled his US tour (PA)

Lancaster, 55, continued: “So, I compared him to either a boxer coming out of his dressing room on the way to the ring, or a horse coming out the blocks, I mean, he runs on and he’s like, you know, straight into it, 100 miles an hour and doesn’t stop.

“It’s like running a sprint for him, so just for precaution that tour unfortunately had to be cancelled, which he was devastated about.”

Stewart, who called off a string of US and Mexico tour dates, including six nights at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, “can’t wait to see his fans again”, having had “so many wonderful well wishes and support”.

She also said the doctor’s orders have stretched to home life also, and he’s received “strict instructions about the level of workout he could do”.

“I mean, he does not sit down,” Lancaster said. “I can never find him, he’s, you know, he’s got his hobbies,

“But he’s going to come back stronger than ever, I found it hard enough as it was to slow him down so now he feels like he’s got a new lease of life.”

The singer has had a series of health issues this year, which have led to him cancelling a string of tour dates. In May, the “Maggie May” singer sent “apologies to my family of fans” after cancelling performances in Nevada, adding: “I am on vocal rest as I recover from a sinus infection.”

Less than a month later, he cancelled his San Diego show after being diagnosed with a respiratory infection that resulted in laryngitis. However, a day later, he was spotted at a FIFA World Cup game just a day later in Boston with his two sons.

Rod Stewart with wife Penny Lancaster (PA)

Stewart later admitted that attending the football “wasn’t a good look”, telling talkSPORT: “I really shouldn’t have gone to the Haiti game. I had to cancel a show the night before because I just had no voice left.

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“But the truth is, I wasn’t going to let my two sons down. I promised them since they were born that we’re going to go to a World Cup, and this is the first one that’s come about. And it wasn’t a good look, I admit, but I’m going to just have to take the stick. So, I did it for the boys.”

Days later, while performing in Utah, he returned to the stage – but almsot fainted while performing. The singer paused the June gig and breathed from an oxygen tank, having become noticeably winded during the performance. “The show must go on. I nearly f***ing fainted there. Would you mind if I sit down for this one?” he told the crowd when he resumed the show. He performed the rest of the gig from a chair.

After undergoing his coronary stent procedure weeks later, he said in a statement: “I’m already feeling better and very much on the mend. I want to thank the doctors, nurses and everyone who has taken such wonderful care of me.

“I am deeply disappointed to miss these shows and sorry to let my fans down, but I look forward to getting back on stage and having a good time with you all again soon.”

Lancaster, who married Stewart in 2007, was speaking as she backed the Street Child charity’s Back To School campaign, which aims to get the public to pledge £4 per month to support a child’s education for a whole year, with the charity claiming that 79 million children around the world do not have access to education.

She said: “I remember first recognising Street Child when I saw the work that they were doing in Sierra Leone, and felt like I wanted to reach out, and I donated, but I wanted to see if there was other things I could do. So I’ve periodically been involved in some of their different campaigns and work that they’ve done, and tried to highlight their cause.

Penny Lancaster has backed the Street Child charity's Back To School campaign (PA)

“Particularly as a mum, being in such a fortunate position that we are in, feeling so lucky that it’s one thing that we don’t have to worry about is, you know, providing the correct equipment, being able to afford to send our children to a great school. And I think, sadly, particularly these days, I don’t think children realise how lucky they are to go to school.

“You often hear kids going, ‘oh, I don’t like school’, or ‘I don’t like my teacher’, or kind of moaning and groaning, and there‘s other children around the world that only wish they could go to school.

“Whether it’s a country that’s been devastated by a natural disaster and the infrastructure and the roads are blocked, and they can’t get to schools, or there’s not enough trained teachers, or of course, young girls that aren’t allowed to go to school.

“We just take it for granted because we live in a country like we do, it’s just unimaginable to think how awful that must be.”

The charity says those who set up a gift before September will directly help Street Child commit to getting a child back to school this term.

Those wishing to donate can do so from the charity’s website.

Additional reporting by Agencies

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”