Rock
'On goes the CD of Scottish bagpipes!' Rod Stewart has an unusual alarm clock for his children
Sir Rod Stewart has adopted a particularly noisy approach to getting his children out of bed, with wife Penny Lancaster revealing he regularly blasts Scottish bagpipes from across their bedroom.
Sir Rod Stewart has a rather unconventional method for getting his children out of bed - blasting Scottish bagpipes from the other side of their bedroom.
The 81-year-old rock legend, who has eight children with five different women, takes responsibility for ensuring his youngest children, Alastair, 21, and Aiden, 15, whom he shares with wife Penny Lancaster, are up and ready for the day.
Appearing as a panellist on Thursday's (05.11.26) episode of ITV's Loose Women, Penny revealed that Rod's approach is considerably less gentle than hers - and he uses the loud instrument of his father's country Scotland to get the boys out of bed.
Penny said: "Bagpipes can be quite triggering to our children.
"Rod has subjected them to the bagpipe alarm clock. So, mummy does a very gentle, 'Come on darling, wake up, [I'll] open the curtains just a little bit, I'll be back in five minutes', give you a little stir.
"No, my husband goes in and says, 'Get up,' and five minutes later they're not. On goes the CD of Scottish bagpipes on a little CD box [player], and he puts it on the other side of the room so they have to get out of bed to turn it off."
Penny revealed the Maggie May singer "still does it", with one of their sons even calling her recently to complain about the unusual wake-up call.
She said: "They hate it, but it's one of those memories I'm sure they will hang onto."
Despite her children's apparent dislike of the morning routine, Penny is a fan of the traditional Scottish instrument and sees it as an important part of the family's heritage.
She said: "I love the bagpipes. My husband's heritage, his father's Scottish, our children were Christened in Scotland and so there's lots of bagpipes for every celebration.
"It's a very heartwarming sound, I think."
Penny and Rod at the 2021 Pride of Britain Awards / Credit: FAMOUS
Penny also offered an update on Rod's health as he prepares for his final ever tour.
The Every Picture Tells a Story hitmaker has postponed several recent concerts because of health issues and announced last month that he plans to bring his touring career to an end following one final run of dates from April 2027 to June 2027.
Penny said Rod - who wants to continue to make music despite his decision to stop touring - remains committed to keeping himself fit enough to handle the demands of performing live.
She said: "My husband's always on a health kick. He's always been extremely healthy, and the first to go to the doctors and get checked up.
"His touring is like military style. It's two hours running around on stage and all the travelling, he has to maintain his health."
Penny also dismissed suggestions that she has banned Rod from drinking wine, explaining that she does not believe in telling her husband what he can and cannot do.
She said: "No, no. I would never tell my husband that he can't do any one particular thing. That's not the way to deal with it."
Instead, she said she takes a "very diplomatic" approach and tries to encourage moderation while making it clear that she has Rod's "best interests at heart".
Penny said: "But it's moderation. He wanted to play football forever and I said, 'Great, you've had a knee replacement so why don't we just maybe play half the football game instead of the whole game?'
"And now he'll be turning 82 and he's got this huge tour coming up next year, and I'm saying, 'Let's create a few little gaps so you can rest and repair.'
"So it's just a case of moderation. Instead of the whole bottle, maybe just one or two glasses."
