Rod Stewart’s Wife Penny Lancaster Says Doctors Discovered Singer Had ‘Underlying Heart Issue’ After Nearly Fainting Onstage

Lancaster insisted the singer, 81, was now doing “great” and is “eager” to get back onstage after announcing he was canceling his upcoming tour dates last month

NEED TO KNOW

• Penny Lancaster opened up about Sir Rod Stewart’s “underlying heart issue” during a recent appearance on the At Home With Vanessa podcast
• Stewart’s team revealed in August that the 81-year-old had successfully undergone a “routine coronary stent procedure,” confirming that he was canceling his upcoming tour dates while recovering from surgery
• Lancaster insisted the “Maggie May” singer was now doing “great” and is “eager” to get back onstage

Penny Lancaster has revealed that Sir Rod Stewart’s doctors uncovered an “underlying heart issue,” which previously prompted the singer to hit the brakes on his current tour as he recovered from surgery.

The 55-year-old model gave an update on her husband’s health while speaking on a recent episode of the At Home With Vanessa podcast, after the singer, 81, paused his concert and used an oxygen mask after nearly fainting onstage at a concert in Utah in June. 

Lancaster explained that Stewart had gone through “a couple of instances where he had an upper respiratory infection,” adding that he’d been at a gig where there was “very high altitude, so it would affect anybody.” 

However, what they didn’t know at the time was that Stewart had an “underlying heart issue,” she told podcast host Vanessa Feltz.

Luckily, doctors caught it at the right time. “Fortunately, he was at the right time, at the right place and they detected a slight blockage which needed a stent, which, according to a lot of research, it appears most people over the age of 65 will often need and require a stent,” Lancaster said.

Stewart’s team revealed that he had successfully undergone a “routine coronary stent procedure” in an Instagram post shared on Aug. 11, as well as confirming he was canceling his upcoming tour dates.

“Doctors are pleased with his recovery, and Rod is doing very well and has returned to his normal daily activities,” the post’s caption read. “On the advice of his doctors, he will take the next four weeks to recuperate and regain full fitness before returning to the stage. Unfortunately, this means he will be unable to continue his current tour dates.”

Stewart had been scheduled to be on the road through Sept. 3, and had six Las Vegas residency dates slated for late August.

Lancaster, who volunteers as a Special Constable officer for the U.K.’s City of London Police force, said that the “Maggie May” singer was now doing “great” and is “eager” to get back onstage. 

When doctors asked about Stewart’s daily performance levels, Lancaster shared his intense routine before and during a show.

“So, he’s on the cycling machine warming his legs up, he’s warming his voice up, he’s getting prepared with his outfit, it’s like pumping his chest, you know? And he comes out the dressing room, and it’s that walk down the corridor to his stage,” she said. “And once he gets onstage, he doesn’t just walk on, like he runs on. And the first song, it’s like go, go, go. And he does that for like an hour and a half, two hours.”

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Lancaster said her husband is often “dripping wet” after performing four or five of his songs. However, after a quick outfit change, he continues the show, she added, describing him as “full on.”

“So of course, [the] doctor’s recommendation was not touring, not doing those shows for four weeks to have a full recovery so that he is fit to go back. But he’s already back in the gym,” she shared on the podcast. 

Lancaster explained that the rock star has a group of people ensuring that he takes it easy from now on. “Between me and my brother, his trainer, and doctors and everyone, you know, we’re not letting him get away with it … he has to do as he’s told,” Lancaster laughed on the podcast.

Stewart has since announced multiple 2027 U.S. tour dates, including performances in Florida, Georgia, and Colorado. 

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