Rod Stewart’s battle with prostate cancer in 2017 was kept under wraps initially, as the music icon chose to maintain his privacy following a routine check-up that revealed an aggressive form of the disease. He confided only in Penny, expressing his desire to understand his condition before going public.
Penny recounts in her new memoir “Someone Like Me” the torment of awaiting Rod’s diagnosis, describing it as “excruciating”. Despite the uncertainty, Rod remained forward-looking, even planning his next tour while recuperating from treatment.
Penny, on the other hand, faced her own silent battle, finding the imposed secrecy tough and feeling isolated from her support network until they could share more information. She reflects on this period as an “agonising wait”. The news emerges after wheel of Fortune’s Ryan Seacrest gets emotional while discussing dad’s cancer.
During an appearance on “Loose Women”, Penny unexpectedly divulged her past experiences with sexual harassment, an admission that seemed to release pent-up emotions related to her husband’s health ordeal. Following the revelation, Penny felt a surge of support, yet the subsequent days proved to be a struggle
In her words, Penny disclosed: “I felt incredibly low, and my depression spiralled further, and I realised that to be strong for both myself and Rod, I might need some help too.”
She revealed that her doctor suggested antidepressants, but she worried she’d appear “weak” by taking them. Penny reflected: “Silly, when I look back now. But I did need to get over this bump, to feel more able to tackle life head-on.”
So she decided to try them.
The medication provided significant relief, with Penny describing them as her lifeline until she could regain her footing.
She also started sessions with a therapist, which proved invaluable since she couldn’t share her inner turmoil with anyone else. Penny recalled: “As I sat in the therapist’s room, I sobbed solidly for three hours. It’s as if a valve had been released.
“I did speak about my fears about losing Rod, about my boys losing their dad. But what also tumbled from my mouth was a bewildering mix of past trauma, triggered I believe, by the Loose Women discussion.”
Though she didn’t return for additional sessions, Penny felt the timing wasn’t appropriate, and those buried issues needed to remain “shut away for a while longer” while navigating Rod’s health battle.
Rod received the all-clear following his cancer diagnosis in July 2019.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.the-express.com ’
