LONDON - Singer Rod Stewart, who helped British rock conquer the world with a string of megahits, turns 80 on Jan 10 – with no plans to slow down.

Stewart, with his distinctive spiky blond hair and raspy voice, dominated pop charts during the 1970s and 1980s with hits like Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? (1978) and Young Turks (1981), notching up more than 250 million record sales worldwide.

He also made headlines for a prolific love life that included relationships with a string of models and actresses, including Swedish actress Britt Ekland, now 82.

Despite his landmark birthday, Stewart says he has no plans to retire.

“I love what I do, and I do what I love. I’m fit, have a full head of hair and can run 100m in 18 seconds at the jolly old age of 79,” he wrote in 2024.

The star will play the legends slot at the famed Glastonbury music festival in June.

Although his forthcoming European and North American tour dates will be his last large-scale project, he has said he plans to concentrate on more intimate venues in the future.

The singer, who held two concerts in Singapore in March 2024, will headline a new residency in Las Vegas from March to June.

A tour is also slated for 2026 for Swing Fever, the album he released in 2024 with English pianist and ex-Squeeze band member Jools Holland.

As he has approached his ninth decade, Stewart has also made headlines for quirkier reasons such as his passion for model railways and his battle with potholes that have prevented him from driving his Ferrari near his home in eastern England.

The singer, who was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 2016, has been married three times and has fathered eight children. His third wife is English model and television personality Penny Lancaster, 53.

From London to global star

Stewart’s story began in north London on Jan 10, 1945 when Roderick Stewart was born into a middle-class family.

After a “fantastically happy childhood”, he developed a love of music when his father bought him a guitar in 1959, and he formed a skiffle band with school friends a year later.

He joined the band Dimensions in 1963 as a harmonica player, exploring his love of folk, blues and soul music while learning from other artistes such as Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger in ...