Rod Stewart has faced multiple health battles in the past, but he's "very vigilant" with his health, his wife Penny Lancaster he said. The rocker looks after himself through good diet, exercise and regular health checks, setting himself goals to be the "fastest 80-year-old" and built a sprinting track in his garden to practise.

In Penny's book, Someone Like Me, the 54-year-old spoke for the first time of what happened after Rod was diagnosed with cancer in 2017. 

After he made her vow to keep it between them while they got further information, Penny eventually went on anti-depressants and attended therapy after dealing with the weight of the secret, among discussing her harrowing experience with sexual assault. But after the health scare, it seems to have put Rod into gear, with Penny now saying that he's promised her 20 more years.

Speaking to The Times, Penny admitted that Rod is very blasé about death, she said: "He feels like when the time's up, the time's up, but he'll go in a flame of laughter and fun."

It followed a discussion of Ozzy Osbourne's death; Rod had posted on Instagram at the time: "Bye, bye Ozzy. Sleep well, my friend. I'll see you up there -- later rather than sooner." Penny explained they all knew that Ozzy's health was suffering.

Rod's health had suffered years prior as he fought cancer for two years before getting the all-clear in July 2019. He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017 after a routine appointment.

They discovered he had an aggressive form of cancer, but Rod was eager to keep things quiet while they waited on further tests.

Penny said in her book the wait for the results was "excruciating", but Rod was focused on the future and planning his next tour while he was sitting in the recovery room.

Meanwhile, Penny was silently struggling, adding that the secrecy was a challenge and she had to cut off her support network until they were further down the line. In her book, she said it was an "agonising wait".

Penny said: "I felt incredibly low, and my depression spiralled further, and I realised that to be strong for both myself and Rod, I might need some help too." She went on anti-depressants for a time which she has since described as the "life-raft" she needed.