Rod Stewart's pained request to Penny Lancaster during brief split from Loose Women star

Rock legend Rod Stewart has had a long and winding road to finding true love, but he eventually found it with his wife Penny Lancaster. As Rod celebrates his 80th birthday today, Loose Women star Penny is overseeing the celebrations, which she previously revealed would be a series of special events lasting "several weeks".

The couple, who live in Essex, have been together for over 20 years, and their love story has inspired some of Rod's biggest hits. Although it took Rod decades to find lasting romance, having had eight children with five different mothers, he knew instantly that Penny was the one.

However, their relationship wasn't without its ups and downs, including a brief split that left Rod heartbroken. Let's take a look back at the couple's rollercoaster relationship over the years.

Before Penny, Rod was married twice, first to Alana Stewart from 1979 to 1984, with whom he shares two children, Kimberly, 45, and Sean, 44. His second wife was model Rachel Hunter, whom he was married to from 1990 to 2006, and they share two children, Renee, 32, and Liam, 30.

Rod also has children with ex-partners Kelly Emberg and Susanna Boffey. Rod and Penny, who is 27 years his junior, share a loving family life with sons Alastair, 19, and Aiden, 13, reports the Mirror.

The couple's romance began in the late '90s when Rod enlisted Penny, a budding photographer at the time, to capture his tour moments. Their love story unfolded gradually, leading to a proposal atop the Eiffel Tower in 2005.

They exchanged vows in 2007 amidst the splendour of Italy, surrounded by 100 guests. A decade later, they reaffirmed their commitment in a heartfelt vow renewal at their Essex home.

Reflecting on their journey, Penny told Hello! magazine: "Being able to reflect on those 10 years, and say those words to one another and still know we mean them is important. This felt more special. You get married with the hope that you'll be together; when we renewed our vows, we said them not with just hope, but with reassurance. Along with hope, there is also faith, love and bringing all the family together."

Rod expressed his deep affection, saying: "Penny is my whole world. What a girl. Love means many things to many people but to me, it's wanting to share everything with the one you love and I love Penny more now than ever, if that is at all possible. It was a beautifully romantic thing to do. We're not proving anything, just sharing our love with our friends and family."

But Rod and Penny had a rocky patch in their relationship, with Penny needing some time away. Rod was left heartbroken, looking at a photo of Penny every day after she left him.

However, they managed to resolve their issues and the 'Sailing' singer decided to express his feelings through music on his album, Time. Rod shared: "I cover Tom Waits' Picture In A Frame. Penny and I broke up for two weeks and the song is about that time. I asked her for a photo of herself in a frame so that I could see her when I want to."

In a heartfelt 2021 interview with People, Rod shared the secret to his long-lasting love with Penny. "Intimacy is the most important thing in a relationship. Don't take it for granted," he reminisced.

"I'm not talking about sex, but a kiss and a cuddle and a hold," he elaborated. "Penny and I do that every morning. We hug each other - sometimes in bed, sometimes out of bed, all throughout the day.It's a wonderful relationship. Lucky geezer, aren't I?"

The couple faced significant challenges in expanding their family, enduring the heartache of two miscarriages before turning to IVF for their youngest child.

Penny has been candid about the effort they put into their marriage, even discussing it during her time on Loose Women.

She told the Mirror about the importance of nurturing her relationship with Rod alongside caring for their children. "I try and split my time between my eldest child – Rod – and my other two boys," she said with a laugh. "Most men are still needy, especially when you have been in a long relationship before children arrive, and then children do take up a big part of your time and men feel they are left out a bit.

"So I make a very conscious effort to dedicate time - the two of us going out for dinner or having breakfast together. Just a moment amongst the madness, he still needs attention."

It seems the flame between the couple is still burning bright, with reports that last year they renewed their wedding vows a second time while Rod was performing in Australia. The commitment ceremony was thoughtfully scheduled, as revealed by Woman's Day magazine, to allow their kids to be present, with Rod "spacing out his tour" for this reason.

A source close to the couple shared: "There's a very good reason why Rod's insisted he space out his tour dates – it's the perfect place and the perfect time to renew their wedding vows. " According to the insider, Penny and Rod had been eager to reaffirm their commitment for some time now and saw it as an ideal opportunity in Australia: "Now they can't wait and are using this chance to do something special while here."

Reflecting on their lasting devotion after an earlier vow renewal, Penny expressed: "Our honeymoon period seems to have lasted forever, we still have a connection like we just met.".

Get the latest celebrity gossip and telly news sent straight to your inbox. Sign up to our daily Showbiz newsletter here.