Penny โLancaster Opensโ Up About Supporting Rod Stewart Through Cancer โBattle & Her Own Mental Health Struggles
Penny Lancaster has revealed โคthe โขemotional toll โคRod โฃStewart’s 2017โฃ prostate cancer diagnosis took on bothโ of them, โdetailing a period of intense secrecy and โขher own subsequent battleโ with depression inโ her โnew book, Someone Like Me.
Rod was diagnosed with an aggressive form โof โprostate cancer during a routineโ appointment, but โคinitiallyโ requested complete privacy. He โconfided in Penny, wanting time to process the news before sharing it publicly. โLancaster described the โฃwaiting period for results as “excruciating,” โขnoting that Rod remarkably focusedโ on planning his next tour even while recovering from treatment.
The โsecrecy surrounding Rod’s illness proved challenging for โคpenny,forcing her to temporarily isolate โherself from her usual support network. Shortly after, an appearance on Loose โWomen โฃ unexpectedly led her โto discuss past experiences โขwith sexualโ harassment. Lancaster believes this opened a floodgate of suppressed emotions, triggering a downward spiral into depression.
“I felt incredibly low,and my depression spiralled further,and I realised that to be strong โขforโค both myself and Rod,I might need some help too,”โค she explained.โ Initially hesitant,fearing it would make her appear “weak,” Penny ultimately decided to try antidepressants. “silly, when I look back now. But I did need to get over this bump, to feel more able to tackle life head-on,” she โsaid. She foundโฃ the medication to be incredibly helpful, describing them as “the safety raft she needed untilโค she could get โbackโ to shore.”
Alongside medication, Penny began โฃtherapy, a spaceโ she desperatelyโค needed to process her feelings.โฃ “Asโ I sat in theโ therapist’s room, I sobbed solidly for threeโ hours. โขIt’s as if a valve hadโ been released,” she โขrecalled. โฃDuring sessions,โค she confronted her fears aboutโค possibly losing โRod and the impactโข his illness would โฃhave on their sons. She also found herself revisiting past trauma,which she believes wasโฃ triggered by her Loose Women appearance.
While she didn’t continueโ therapy after that initial period, Penny felt the timing โwasn’tโ right, needing to prioritize supporting Rod.โ Fortunately, Rod stewart received the โall-clearโ from cancer in July 2019.
