Rod Stewart at 80: Rock Legend Gears Up for Glastonbury and Reflects on a Storied Life

At an age when many entertainers are quietly retreating from the spotlight, Sir Rod Stewart is booking stadiums, recording new albums, writing books, and — in his own words — running 100 meters in under 20 seconds.

Now 80, the British rock legend is preparing for a major appearance at this weekend’s Glastonbury Festival, where he’ll perform in the coveted “legends” slot on the Pyramid Stage. But there’s one thing he’d like to change about the billing.

“I just wish they wouldn’t call it the tea time slot,” he says with a wry grin. “That sounds like pipe and slippers, doesn’t it?”

Stewart successfully persuaded organizers to extend his performance from 75 to 90 minutes. Still, it’s a compromise for the artist whose concerts regularly run over two hours.

“I’m not gonna make any announcements between songs,” he explains. “I’ll do one number, shout ‘next’, and go straight into the next one. I’m going to get in as many songs as I can.”

That’s no small feat, considering his expansive catalog. From the raw rock of “Stay With Me” and “Maggie May” to the pop glitz of “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” and heartfelt ballads like “Have I Told You Lately,” Stewart’s voice — raspy, expressive, unmistakable — has become part of rock and roll’s foundation.

From Eel Pie Island to Global Icon

Few artists have a backstory as colorful as Stewart’s. Discovered not for his voice but for his harmonica playing, Stewart was spotted by blues musician Long John Baldry while playing Howlin’ Wolf’s “Smokestack Lightnin’” on a train platform in 1964.

“Long John said he saw a pile of rubble with a nose sticking out — and that was me, playing harmonica,” Stewart recalls.

At the time, he was uncertain about his singing. But with Baldry’s encouragement, he began to shape the vocal style that would make him a star, channeling his heroes Sam Cooke and Otis Redding into something raw, soulful, and entirely his own.

His early days with the Jeff Beck Group and later the Faces were defined by both musical brilliance and legendary debauchery. The band famously racked up an $11,000 hotel bill (equivalent to over $50,000 today), and were banned from the Holiday Inn chain for 40 years.

“We only did it because they treated us so badly,” he says. “So we’d get our own back by smashing the hotels up.”

Stewart admits that drinking was a part of the scene — but says drugs never really pulled him in. “I’ve dabbled, but I played football all the time and had to be match fit,” he says.

Personal Highs and Lows

While his professional life has seen extraordinary highs, Stewart’s personal life has been more turbulent. His relationships with Bond girl Britt Ekland, Alana Stewart, and model Kelly Emberg all ended in heartbreak — often due to his own infidelity.

“I didn’t know how to resist,” he wrote in his memoir. “I thought I could get away with it.”

His marriage to Rachel Hunter ended in 1999, a split that left him emotionally shattered. “I felt cold all the time,” he once admitted. “I’d lie on the sofa with a blanket and a hot water bottle. I knew then why they call it heartbroken.”

But for nearly two decades, Stewart has found stability with his wife Penny Lancaster, a former model turned television presenter and part-time police constable. The couple married in 2007 and recently celebrated their 18th anniversary with a luxurious trip on the Orient Express, retracing their love story from Paris to the Italian coast.

Today, family is his core. “I’ve got eight kids, and sometimes I wake up and see all these messages: Stewart, Stewart, Stewart,” he says. “It’s just gorgeous.”

His youngest, 14-year-old Aiden, has become a devoted student of his father’s career. “He’s gone back and listened to everything I’ve done,” Stewart says proudly. “He knows songs I don’t even remember recording!”

Still Performing, Still Evolving

Stewart’s Glastonbury appearance comes alongside the release of his 20th greatest hits compilation. “Is it really?” he says, wide-eyed. “Oh gawwwwd.”

Though he’s recorded more than 60 hit singles and seven UK number ones, Stewart insists he’s not a natural songwriter. “I struggle with it,” he confesses. “It takes me ages to write lyrics. I don’t consider myself a particularly good songwriter. I’m just a storyteller, that’s all. A humble storyteller.”

Even so, his stories have captivated generations. His 2002 Glastonbury performance began with a wary crowd but ended with 100,000 voices swaying in unison to “Sailing.” Stewart, true to form, has no memory of it.

“I don’t remember a thing,” he shrugs. “I do so many concerts, they all blend into one.”

What stands out is a New Year’s Eve concert in 1994, when he performed before more than three million fans on Brazil’s Copacabana Beach — after recovering from violent food poisoning just hours earlier.

Looking Forward, Not Back

These days, Stewart splits his time between touring, recording, and indulging in personal passions, like his model train collection — the subject of an upcoming book.

He’s well aware of his legacy but insists he’s not weighed down by it.

“I don’t care anymore what the critics think,” he says. “I’m there to entertain my people.”

And that, above all, is what Rod Stewart has always done best.

As the Pyramid Stage lights up on Sunday afternoon and thousands gather to sing along, one thing is certain: this isn’t just a “tea time slot.” It’s the next chapter in a career that shows no signs of slowing down.