‘I Didn’t See It Coming’: Rod Stewart Breaks His Silence on the Day Everything Changed – the Hidden Signs He Missed, the Doctor’s Words He’ll Never Forget, and the Personal Battle He Fought Without the World Knowing.
He says he’s ‘one of the lucky ones’
Do Ya Think He’s Sexy? There were questions about whether or not Rod Stewart would grace the Sunday legends slot at Glastonbury Festival 2025.
The raspy-voiced rocker had to cancel shows in Las Vegas earlier in June, “on doctor’s orders”. As a result, rumours swirled that he Maggie May not make it to Worthy Farm this year.
He may be getting on, but there’s Never A Dull Moment in the life of a rockstar. He has eight children by five different women, and recently celebrated the newest addition to the brood.
Rod now has four grandchildren, with a fifth on the way. But in 2016, he got a nasty shock in the form of a prostate cancer diagnosis. Here’s what we know.
Rod wrote in his 2012 autobiography that he wanted to be one of the great philanderers (Credit: Splash News)
Rod Stewart kept ‘life-threatening’ prostate cancer diagnosis quiet for three years
Fortunately, he caught it early.
Despite not experiencing significant symptoms, Rod Stewart’s proactive attitude towards his health meant he was going in for regular screenings. As a result, doctors caught his prostate cancer relatively early in its development, after a routine prostate-specific antigen test.
“Needless to say, it was a shock,” Rod said later, per medical website OncoDaily, when he went public with the news. “When you are so close to something that is potentially life-threatening, you tend to get your life in perspective.”
It made him feel fearful and vulnerable to a degree he had never felt before, he said. But he and his wife, Penny Lancaster, kept it to themselves. For three years, it remained a secret.
They told their older children first, assuming the others were too young to understand. Because of the early detection, they didn’t find themselves breaking more tragic news, further down the line.
Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster with eldest son Alastair (Credit: Cover Images)
‘Guys, you’ve got to really go to the doctor’
Rod Stewart underwent a three-month course of intensive radiation therapy. It had spread beyond the prostate gland, so surgical removal was unfeasible.
He also committed to a healthier diet and started exercising more regularly.
The treatment plan worked, and Rod received the all-clear in July 2022.
“I’m one of the lucky ones,” he said later, using his platform to discourage men from shying away from getting regular health checkups.
But that’s not all. Rod was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2000 – also successfully treated. More recently, strep throat in August 2024, followed by Covid-19. These, in combination, led him to cancel several concerts. This year, flu has held him back from performing at his usual rate.
However, he’s back in the saddle. 23 years after his last appearance at Glastonbury Festival, he is taking the stage for Sunday’s legends slot. Tonight, He’s Yours.
