Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster are desperately trying to rebuild their 17-year marriage after the singer scrapped their plans to sell his $74 million Beverly Hills mansion and return to the UK full-time.
The 79-year-old British rocker promised Lancaster, 53, that they would pack up their lives in Los Angeles and move to their sprawling $5.8 million estate in Harlow, Essex, after he announced last year that it was “time to leave” the US.
But DailyMail.com has learned the pair are now at a stalemate, with Stewart refusing to leave LA and Lancaster furious and refusing to stay after he extended his stay in Las Vegas and rejected two offers for the sprawling nine-bedroom property just over a month ago.
The news comes days after Lancaster – who has sons Alastair (18) and Aiden (13) with singer Maggie May, whom she married in 2007 – hinted at “family problems”.
“Rod is loving his life in LA and flying back and forth to Vegas for his performances,” a well-placed insider tells me. “He’s spending quality time with his grandchildren and hosting a banquet dinner at home for a group of his closest friends most Sunday nights.”
Stewart, 79, extended his stay in Las Vegas and turned down two offers for the sprawling nine-bedroom property (pictured) just over a month ago
Stewart announced plans to move to his native United Kingdom in June 2023 when he listed his 33,000-square-foot Beverly Hills home — which also includes a three-story guesthouse, a swimming pool and a full-size soccer field — for $70 million.
In December, he raised the asking price to $80 million, then lowered it by $6 million in February, bringing the price tag to $74 million.
But Stewart has since taken the property off the market, infuriating Lancaster – who is a regular on British TV show Loose Women, works as a special constable for the London police and considers the British countryside ‘home’.
“Penny has no plans to return to LA, which she is not a fan of, while Rod has no plans to move back at this time,” the insider continued.
“They’re at a stalemate and Penny is angry that Rod hasn’t kept his word. It’s about saving their marriage now.”
DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Stewart and Lancaster for comment.
Stewart, who first moved to LA in 1975, paid $12 million for the land on which he built his yellow mansion in 1991 after hiring famed California architect Richard Landry.
The property features 12 bathrooms, a large formal dining room that seats over 20 guests, a speakeasy, a movie theater, a wood-paneled library, a wine room, two gyms, an eat-in kitchen, a tea room and is also currently home to his 1,500 square foot model railroad.
A well-placed insider told DailyMail.com: ‘They’re at a stalemate and Penny is angry that Rod hasn’t kept his word. It’s now about saving their marriage.’
Stewart announced his plans to move to his native Britain in June last year when he put his 33,000-square-foot Beverly Hills home on the market for $70 million.
He then raised the asking price to $80 million in December, only to lower it by $6 million in February and has now taken it off the market.
Other design highlights include French marble, Regency furniture and ornate ceilings.
Stewart confirmed last June that he would return to the UK, citing his sons’ education as one of the key factors.
“The chances of me selling it are very, very slim because I love it so much I won’t sell it if I don’t get the right price for it,” he told Chris Evans on Virgin Radio.
“I love Los Angeles and the American people have been very good to me, but it’s time to leave. My two boys, [17] and 12, go to school here [UK].
The Grammy winner had planned to make his palatial Essex estate, known as Durrington House, his permanent residence. He and Lancaster bought the 10-bedroom, 18th-century property in 2016.
Lancaster recently called the mansion “home” on Instagram, posting a photo of herself posing on the sprawling 46-acre estate.
‘After a few crazy days and nights in central London, there’s nothing I’d rather do than get back to the countryside and lie on the cool grass on an early summer evening,’ she wrote.
‘I breathe in the fresh air and the smell of the earth beneath me. I listen to the birds and watch the butterflies, I dance around while being chased by my two devoted dogs. I am at peace, I am home.’
The former swimwear model met the frontman in 1999 when she performed as part of his band while he was still married to his second wife Rachel Hunter.
Lancaster is a regular on British television, works as a special constable for the City of London Police and considers the British countryside his ‘home’ (pictured at their estate in Essex)
Stewart confirmed his return to the UK in June last year, citing his sons Alastair and Aiden’s education as one of the key factors (pictured here with the rest of the family in July)
Stewart and Lancaster purchased a sprawling Essex home called Durrington House in 2016 for $5.8 million
Hunter and Stewart separated that year and divorced in 2006. He had previously been married to Alana Stewart.
The chart-topper has eight children from five women: daughters Sarah Streeter, 59, Kimberly, 43, Ruby, 35, and Renee, 30, and sons Sean, 42, and Liam, 28, and Alastair and Aiden.
He also has three grandchildren: Delilah, 12, and Otis and Louie, both one.
Lancaster has been candid about her marriage to Stewart and their secrets to maintaining a healthy relationship for nearly two decades.
But on Tuesday she hinted at “family issues” when discussing the royal family’s rift with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on Loose Women.
When asked if they should try to “fix” it all, Lancaster replied: “I don’t judge one side or the other – you know, do I like Harry, do I think this or that?
“I really look at the bigger picture, just the family. We all have family problems sometimes.
“I think it’s about rebuilding bridges, especially since there are so many health issues within the family.”
The couple pictured at their UK home last year
Stewart’s refusal to pack up his bags comes after his 13-year Las Vegas residency was extended. He was forced to cancel his 200th show earlier this month due to illness
Stewart’s refusal to leave comes as his 13-year Las Vegas residency, The Hits, is extended at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
The Sailing singer announced The Encore Shows earlier this month, which will see him return to the iconic venue for 12 concerts in March, May and June next year.
This comes after he canceled two dates on the North American leg of his tour this month and his August 7 performance in Las Vegas (which would have been his 200th performance) due to laryngitis.
Stewart, who has had both prostate and thyroid cancer, told The Sun in July: ‘I know my days are numbered but I’m not scared. We all have to die at some point so we’re all in this together.
“I’m going to enjoy the last couple of years as much as I can. I say a couple – probably another 15. I can do that easily, mate, easily.”