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Penny Lancaster has joked she 'deserves a medal' for her 26-year relationship with Sir Rod Stewart as she marked their anniversary.
The 55-year-old model, police officer and TV presenter opened up on her marriage to the Maggie May rock star, and revealed the secret to their long lasting romance in a new interview this week.
She told Best magazine: 'Yes, 26 years! I deserve a medal, don't I? Only joking.
'We don't take each other for granted and make sure we have date nights together - dinner, the theatre or whatever, doing the school run together and having an 'a deux' coffee on the way home, long romantic walks together...
She added: 'We flirt with each other and make each other laugh.'
Penny explained that they try to 'keep the intimacy alive' when they get moments alone, and they love to mark their relationship milestones.
Penny Lancaster has joked she 'deserves a medal' for her 26-year relationship with Sir Rod Stewart as she marked their anniversary (both pictured 2006)
She continued: 'We're big on celebrating our anniversaries and really spoil each other.
'For instance, for our last wedding anniversary, we took a very romantic train trip from Paris to Portofino because Rod proposed to me in Paris and we got married in Portofino.
'We love reminiscing about our life together and also making plans for the future - more romantic trips.'
Penny also credited their long-standing love with having 'time apart' to 'keep the spark alive', and they're currently both excited to be reunited after three weeks apart.
She said: 'We're desperately missing each other and have been counting down the days.
'Rod generally has a driver pick him up from the airport, but I'm meeting him because we can't wait to see each other.'
The couple met back in 1999 when Penny was a student at Barking College, and Rod was performing.
She continued: 'Right from the start of our 26 years together, we've spent time apart. The first year, for instance, I was in the UK studying photography while he was living in the US.
The 55-year-old model, police officer and TV presenter opened up on her marriage to the Maggie May rock star, and revealed the secret to their long lasting romance in a new interview this week (pictured last year)
'We'd spend hours and hours on the phone, talking about everything - including photography and paintings.'
She also praised her husband's 'sensitive' side behind his public façade.
Penny said: 'Rod has a deeply spiritual, sensitive and artistic side. That's what he's like underneath it all. That's the real man.
'He can be quite demanding, and he does require a lot of attention, but that's fine because I'm good at giving it.'
The couple welcomed their first son, Alistair, 20, in 2005, before going on to tie the knot in 2007, and welcoming their second son, Aiden, 14, in 2011.
Prior to welcoming two sons with Penny, Rod was already a father to six children from previous relationships.
The star put his first child up for adoption, Sarah, 62, whom he welcomed with his ex-girlfriend Susannah Boffey when he was just 17. He later formed a relationship with her.
He then had daughter Kimberly, 46, and son Sean, 45, with his ex-wife Alana Stewart and a daughter Ruby, 38, with his ex-girlfriend Kelly Emberg.
The couple welcomed their first son, Alistair, 20, in 2005, before going on to tie the knot in 2007, and welcoming their second son, Aiden, 14, in 2011
While married to his ex-wife, Rachel Hunter, the Faces frontman had two more children, Renee, 33, and Liam, 31.
Previously discussing how they first met, Penny revealed it wasn't until nine months after exchanging numbers that Rod reached out to her.
They originally met in the wake of Rod's divorce from his second wife Rachel, whom he was married to from 1990 until 2006.
And anticipating that his best pal wasn't ready to meet the love of his life yet, Rod's band leader, Carmine Appice, withheld Penny's number from the musician until he was in a better place.
Recalling the story, Rod explained: 'He was an absolute gentleman, he was band leader and bass player, and he kept her telephone away from me.
'He didn't think I was in the right position because I had just got a divorce and didn't know if I was coming or going, and he said I will give it to you when I think you are ready.'
He joked: 'I should of fired him, but I couldn't!'
Penny then began to well up with tears as she added: 'Carmine had kept that telephone number away from him.
'He said "you are going to go a bit crazy over the summer and let your hair down, and Penny seems like a nice girl."'
After hearing nothing from her future husband, she explained: 'I really thought that was the last I would see of Rod. I remember processing those photos I took of Rod [at his concert] and thinking, what a lovely memory, and that was that.'
English (US) ·