Penelope Claire Lancaster, Lady Stewart (born 15 March 1971) is an English model and television personality. She is married to rock singer
Rod Stewart. In 2014, she joined the
ITV lunchtime show ''
Loose Women''.
Early life
Lancaster was born to Graham and Sally and has a brother named Oliver. At the age of six, Lancaster took up dance, including
tap,
ballet
Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...
and
modern
Modern may refer to:
History
* Modern history
** Early Modern period
** Late Modern period
*** 18th century
*** 19th century
*** 20th century
** Contemporary history
* Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century
Phil ...
. At 16, she gave up because of her height and decided that
aerobics
Aerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness ( flexibility, muscular strength, and cardio-vascular fitness). ...
would better suit her frame, and six years later she became a certified
fitness trainer
A personal trainer is an individual who creates and delivers safe and effective exercise programs for apparently healthy individuals and groups, or those with medical clearance to exercise. They motivate clients by collaborating to set goals, p ...
. It was during this time that she was spotted by a model scout, who suggested she should consider a career in
modelling. Lancaster suffers from a chronic sweat problem called
hyperhidrosis
Hyperhidrosis is a condition characterized by abnormally increased sweating, in excess of that required for regulation of body temperature. Although primarily a benign physical burden, hyperhidrosis can deteriorate quality of life from a psycholog ...
.
Career
Early career
Throughout the 1990s, Lancaster was in a long-term relationship with city trader Mickey Sloan. They lived in
Bermuda
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from 1996 to 1998 but separated in 1999.
Around this time, Lancaster decided to learn about the other side of modelling and began taking
photography
Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is employe ...
classes.
Ultimo
In 2002, Lancaster signed up to be the face of designer lingerie brand
Ultimo for £200,000. Although she was a success at promoting the brand—raising its profile, especially in the United Kingdom—two years later, Lancaster's contract was not renewed. She was replaced in the role by
Rod Stewart's ex-wife
Rachel Hunter
Rachel Hunter (born 8 September 1969) is a New Zealand model, actress and the host of Imagination Television's ''Rachel Hunter's Tour of Beauty''. She has appeared on several magazine covers, including ''Vogue'', ''Elle'', ''Rolling Stone'', ' ...
. The decision, dubbed Bra Wars by the British press, was seen as a publicity stunt, which infuriated Stewart, who described Ultimo's founder
Michelle Mone as "manipulative". However, two of Stewart's daughters—
Kimberly and
Ruby
A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called ...
—have since modelled for Ultimo.
''Strictly Come Dancing''
Lancaster was one of fourteen celebrities taking part in the
fifth series of ''
Strictly Come Dancing'' in 2007. In week 4, she was revealed as one of the bottom two participants. She and her dancing partner, (
Ian Waite
Ian Waite (born 29 January 1971) is a British professional dancer specialising in Latin American dance, a teacher and choreographer.
Biography
Waite was born in Reading, Berkshire. He started dancing at the age of 10. Mary Richardson, a former ...
), were in the week six dance-off with
Matt Di Angelo
Mario Angelo S Constantinou (born 1 May 1987), professionally known as Matt Di Angelo, is a British actor and singer, best known for his role as Dean Wicks in the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders''. He also portrayed Sean Kennedy in the BBC drama s ...
and were voted off.
Performances
''Loose Women''
On 15 September 2014, Lancaster was billed as an occasional panellist on the lunchtime TV chat show ''
Loose Women''. She made four subsequent appearances during her first series. Through series 20 and 21 Lancaster started appearing on the show more regularly, usually twice per month. However, from series 22, Lancaster returned to appearing much more infrequently, making a total of six appearances. This was followed by a further ten appearances in series 23 and four in series 24. In series 25, she appeared more frequently and was a regular panellist. In the current series, she has not yet appeared as a panellist but has appeared as a guest. She has not officially left the show.
Other television work
In January 2018, Lancaster participated in ''
And They're Off!'' in aid of
Sport Relief
''Sport Relief'' was a biennial charity event from Comic Relief, in association with BBC Sport, established in 2002.
It was the idea of Kevin Cahill, CBE, who had joined Comic Relief in 1991 to establish a new department as Director of Educat ...
.
In January 2019, she appeared in an episode of
''Celebrity Catchphrase''. In February 2019, she appeared in ''Famous and Fighting Crime'' alongside fellow celebrities
Jamie Laing
James Robin Grant Laing ( /ˈleɪŋ/ ; born 3 November 1988) is an English presenter, television personality and investor. He is the founder of the confectionery company Candy Kittens and best known for appearing on the reality television serie ...
,
Katie Piper
Kate Elizabeth Sutton (née Piper; born 12 October 1983) is an English writer, activist, television presenter and model from Andover, Hampshire.
In March 2008, she was attacked with acid by her ex-boyfriend and an accomplice, causing major da ...
,
Sandi Bogle and
Marcus Brigstocke
Marcus Alexander Brigstocke (born 8 May 1973) is a British comedian, actor and satirist. He has worked in stand-up comedy, television, radio and musical theatre. He has appeared on many BBC television and radio shows.
Early life
Brigstocke is ...
on
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
.
In 2021, Lancaster was a competitor on BBC's ''
Celebrity MasterChef
''MasterChef'' is a competitive cooking reality show produced by Endemol Shine UK and Banijay and broadcast in 60 countries around the world. In the UK, it is produced by the BBC. The show initially ran from 1990 to 2001 and was revived in 2 ...
''. She made it as far as her quarter final, losing out to
Melanie Sykes
Melanie Ann Sykes (born 7 August 1970) is an English television and radio presenter. She is best known for co-hosting '' Today with Des and Mel'' with Des O'Connor and '' Let's Do Lunch'' with Gino D'Acampo. She also co-hosted '' Going Out with ...
and
Megan McKenna
Megan Elizabeth McKenna (born 26 September 1992) is an English television personality and singer. After making appearances on '' Ex on the Beach'' (2015–2016), she received wider attention for appearing on '' Celebrity Big Brother'' (2016) an ...
.
Police work
In 2020, after appearing on Channel 4's ''Famous and Fighting Crime'', Lancaster joined the
City of London Police as a volunteer
special constable. In April 2021, she completed her training to become a special police constable and is now fully qualified.
She was on policing duties during
the Queen’s funeral.
Personal life
In 1999, Lancaster met singer
Rod Stewart when he agreed to let her take photos of him on tour. A romance soon developed and they began seven-year courtship. Lancaster gave birth to their first child, Alastair Wallace Stewart, on 27 November 2005. Lancaster and Stewart married on 16 June 2007 at La Cervara near
Portofino
Portofino (; ) is a ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line the shore. Since the late 19th century ...
, Italy. On 17 February 2011, it was announced that Lancaster had given birth to their second child (Stewart's eighth), Aiden Patrick Stewart.
Lancaster is an ambassador for Penny for London, a charity helping young people escape poverty, supported by
Northern & Shell, the parent company of the ''
Daily Express'',
Goldman Sachs,
Barclaycard
Barclaycard (; stylized as barclaycard) is a brand for credit cards of Barclays PLC. , Barclays had over ten million customers in the United Kingdom.
History
Barclays launched Barclaycard on 29 June 1966, initially as a charge card, but followi ...
and
VISA
Visa most commonly refers to:
*Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company
** Visa Debit card issued by the above company
** Visa Electron, a debit card
** Visa Plus, an interbank network
*Travel visa, a document that allows ...
. She is also a vice-president of the
Royal National Institute of Blind People
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) is a UK charity offering information, support and advice to almost two million people in the UK with sight loss.
History
The RNIB was founded by Thomas Rhodes Armitage, a doctor who had eye ...
.
At the age of 46, Lancaster was diagnosed with
dyslexia.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lancaster, Penny
1971 births
Living people
English female models
People from Chelmsford
Family of Rod Stewart
Photographers from Essex
British special constables
Wives of knights