Singing icon Sir Rod Stewart has left his legion of fans on tenterhooks after addressing the possibility of taking a well-deserved break from his remarkable music career.
The 78-year-old made the comments during a recent appearance on The One Show in which he discussed slowing down a bit and stepping away from “the rock stuff for a while”.
Host Angellica Bell asked the Maggie May hitmaker whether he was considering a break from performing and making music, much like fellow performer Elton John.
“He’s performing at Glastonbury, it’s going to be his last performance. He wants to take a bit of a break. Do you think that’s something, Rod that you’re thinking about?” Bell asked.
“Yes,” Stewart replied before stressing that he is still fit enough to keep up with the demands of performing.
“I don’t need a break because I’m not fit. I’m really fit and I can do it,” he added.
“I just want to branch off and do something else, I am going to swing out with Jools Holland and just drop the rock stuff for a while.”
Stewart’s latest comments about the fate of his stellar career follow an interview he did in 2022 in which he expressed his desire to retire from “rock ‘n’ roll touring”, revealing that he wants “to do something new”.
The 78-year-old made the bombshell revelation during a recent interview with the Daily Record where he announced that although he wants to move away from touring he is not planning on retiring altogether anytime soon.
“Next year will be the end of my rock ‘n’ roll touring. I want to do something different. It feels like an end of an era,” he said.
“All things must come to an end.
“I’m not retiring and I still love singing, I just want to do something new. I might do a few folk clubs playing guitar. Just be different.”
Stewart opened up about how performing in the “big tours” had lost its appeal as it keeps him away from his children.
“I don’t want to do the big tours any more, especially in America. It takes me away from my kids for so long,” he said.
“It used to be OK because it was fun and games. It is still fun and games but I miss my kids so much.
“I’ve got one more year doing big gigs in South America, Australia, a Las Vegas residency, some more in England and a couple in Edinburgh.
“But I’m not retiring – I just want to move on.”