Rod Stewart Is ‘Building Up Strength’ After Heart Surgery and Tour Cancellation

The wife of Rod Stewart has insisted his health is improving and he will tour again next year after being “devastated” to cancel shows in the U.S.

Penny Lancaster, 55, gave the news on Stewart, 81, after he axed a series of concerts and then announced he had undergone heart surgery earlier this month.

“He’s back at full speed in his day-to-day activities, but doctor’s orders were to kind of postpone or cancel the current tour, because you know the risk factors involved,” Lancaster told The Independent on Monday, August 31. “I did have to explain to the doctor what Rod’s performances are like, he doesn’t just sit down on a stool or behind a piano, he runs around for nearly two hours with four different costume changes because he’s sweating through everything.”

She added that she compared the “Forever Young” singer to “either a boxer coming out of his dressing room on the way to the ring, or either a horse coming out the blocks.”

“I mean, he runs on and he’s like, you know, straight into it, 100 miles an hour and doesn’t stop,” Lancaster continued. “It’s like running a sprint for him, so just for precaution that tour unfortunately had to be cancelled, which he was devastated about.”

In the interview published in multiple U.K. publications, including The Mirror and The Sun, Lancaster added that her husband was back working in the gym building up his strength and stamina again, after the coronary stent procedure.

“He’s going to come back stronger than ever, I found it hard enough as it was to slow him down so now he feels like he’s got a new lease of life,” she explained.

Stewart postponed a show in Cincinnati on Sunday, August 9.

Earlier in the summer, the singer pulled out of his concert on June 12 in San Diego, California, just hours before it was due to start after contracting laryngitis.

As Examiner previously reported, Stewart was forced to abandon the rest of his 2026 U.S. tour, but he’s expected to return for dates in 2027.

Lancaster was giving an interview to promote the charity Street Child, which has a campaign to support children’s education around the world.