ROD STEWART - STEWART TO MOVE FAMILY TO L.A.

Veteran rocker ROD STEWART is to quit his native Britain and move over to Los Angeles - because the U.S. is a "better" place to bring up children. The Maggie May star, 63, reportedly plans to sell off his $12 million (GBP6 million) mansion in Essex, England - the house he has called home for 20 years - and relocate to sunny L.A. with his wife Penny Lancaster and their two-year-old son, Alastair. And the couple is hoping to add to their family once they are settled in the States. A source says, "The house in Essex is very large with a full team of staff and costs hundreds of thousands of pounds to maintain. That kind of spending is difficult to justify if the family are hardly ever there. "Rod and Penny have also made no secret of their desire to give Alastair a little brother or sister as soon as possible. And when they do, they have decided they want to make L.A. their base. Most of Rod's other kids live out there and the weather and quality of life seem more suitable for raising a young family." But Stewart, who has six other grown up children from previous relationships, will not need to spend his estimated $200 million (GBP100 million) fortune on a new home - he already owns a 20-bedroom mansion there.