Rod Stewart breaks cover after defending wife Penny from 'tubby bully' Gregg Wallace

Sir Rod Stewart, 79, and his wife Penny Lancaster, 53, were seen enjoying a night out with their friends at the exclusive Annabel's Club in London amid the Gregg Wallace scandal

Sir Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster have been seen out and about for the first time since he hit out at MasterChef host Gregg Wallace.

The 79-year-old singer and his 53-year-old wife enjoyed a glamorous night out at the exclusive Annabel's Club in London. The stylish couple seemed in high spirits and looked glammed-up as they spent time with their friends in the capital.

Sir Rod donned a sharp black and white ensemble, with a Celtic-themed brooch gleaming from his tie - a nod to his love for Celtic Football Club. Penny wowed in a lacy black dress paired with a black and white coat and gold heels.

Their outing came just days after Rod made headlines for accusing "bully" Wallace of "humiliating" his wife Penny during a recent appearance on the show. But despite the recent drama surrounding the incident, the pair appeared unfazed as they put on a united display of love at the club.

And as they left the venue, Rod was seen handing out tips to the porters, with a picture showing the singer holding a few £20 notes. The couple then got into a white car and were call smiles as they sat while posing for a photo.

After it emerged that the BBC is conducting an investigation into misconduct claims were raised over Wallace's behaviour, Sir Rod took to social media to lash out at the MasterChef host. He wrote in a post shared with his 1.4million followers: "Good riddance Wallace... You humiliated my wife when she was on the show, but you had that bit cut out didn't you? You're a tubby, bald-headed, ill-mannered bully. Karma got ya. Sir Rod Stewart."

Penny took part in Celebrity MasterChef in 2021 and reached the quarter final. Kirsty Wark, who is one of the people who made accusations against Gregg, appeared on the BBC cooking show in 2011 and has claimed that Wallace told "jokes of a sexualised nature" on two occasions during filming. Speaking to BBC News, Kirsty said Wallace's alleged remarks were "really, really in the wrong place".

Wallace has denied allegations of inappropriate sexual comments he is said to have made. A statement from the show's production company, Banijay UK, said that Gregg was "committed to fully cooperating throughout the process" amid the BBC's investigation.

The statement read: "This week the BBC received complaints from individuals in relation to historical allegations of misconduct while working with presenter Gregg Wallace on one of our shows. Whilst these complainants have not raised the allegations directly with our show producers or parent company Banijay UK, we feel that it is appropriate to conduct an immediate, external review to fully and impartially investigate.

"While this review is underway, Gregg Wallace will be stepping away from his role on MasterChef and is committed to fully cooperating throughout the process. Banijay UK's duty of care to staff is always a priority and our expectations regarding behaviour are made clear to both cast and crew on all productions, with multiple ways of raising concerns, including anonymously, clearly promoted on set."

It continued: "Whilst these are historical allegations, incidences brought to our attention where these expectations are not met, are thoroughly investigated and addressed appropriately."

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