Why Rod Stewart didn't tell his children about cancer diagnosis

Rod Stewart has been performing and recording music for more than 50 years. He’s had an incredible career, selling over 250 million albums, and was recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 American Music Awards.

But while the success has given him opportunities and freedom in life, Stewart has overcome extreme health issues. He’s had cancer twice, but even though it’s incredibly tough going through it, Stewart now reveals that he didn’t tell his children when he received a prostate cancer diagnosis nearly ten years ago.

Rod Stewart’s career has been nothing less than incredible. The working-class son of a Scottish plumber in London, England, rose to fame in the 1960s, and in 1969, he released his first solo album, An Old Raincoat Won’t Ever Let You Down.

Since then, Stewart has spent several decades on stage, selling more than 250 million albums, and has captivated the world with his distinctive raspy voice. Stewart has been honored with more awards than one can count, and on May 26, he added another, very precious one, to his collection.

Rod Stewart was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award during the American Music Awards. Five of his eight children presented it: Kimberly, Sean, Ruby, Renee, and Liam.

“I am absolutely flabbergasted. I didn’t know they were here, my children,” Stewart said in his speech. “When I started singing in the early ’60s, well before all of you lot were here, the reason I got into it [was] because I had this burning ambition to sing. It’s all I wanted to do. I didn’t want to be rich or famous, and here I am a few years later, picking up this wonderful award.”

Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart has lived an incredible life. However, health issues have haunted him in recent decades. In 2000, he underwent surgery after doctors discovered a cancerous tumor in his thyroid gland. Later, the musician learned that it could’ve cost him his singing voice.

“They didn’t tell me that when I went in for the operation. Only when I came out,” Stewart told AARP.

Earlier, he had also explained how he had to do vocal rehab after the surgery, saying he “had to learn to trust my voice again.” Speaking with ITV, Stewart elaborated on losing his voice.

“You know, they chop right through your throat all the muscles are torn apart and they’ve all got memories so they have to remember again,” Stewart said. “So it took me a long time. I’d start off, ‘Wake up Maggie..’ oh, it’s gone. ‘Wake up Maggie I think I’ve got..’ oh, it’s gone again. It took me that long, it took me six months to get it back again.”

Rod Stewart didn’t tell his children when he received cancer diagnosis

Sadly, Rod Stewart would get cancer once again. In 2016, Rod Stewart was diagnosed with prostate cancer. When he received the news, he was also told that he would recover from it. Therefore, Stewart decided not to tell his children about the diagnosis.

“I didn’t want to worry them, and I’m all clear now,” he said, continuing to describe how his family has stayed strong through good and bad times.

“My family seems like the archetype of one that didn’t have much money but was close and loving. I was the youngest by ten years, and I was given lots of attention, plus the odd chocolate now and then. Didn’t have much money, but it didn’t seem like a worry at the time,” Stewart explained.

“When I heard ‘Maggie May’ on the radio for the first time, I turned around and went all the way back to my mum and dad’s house to tell them. They started crying, and that was a magical moment. When I got a check for $1 million from Mercury Records, I showed it to them. And I took them everywhere with me.”

A two-time cancer survivor, Rod Stewart has dedicated much of his time to helping cancer patients and highlighting the organizations fighting to find a cure. For example, he has helped the City of Hope Foundation, an organization working to find a cure for all types of cancer.

“I’m one of the lucky ones”

Additionally, not long ago, Stewart donated approximately $13,000 to the NHS Grampian cancer facility in Aberdeenshire to support cancer patients.

“I’m one of the lucky ones,” Rod Stewart told the Oral Cancer Foundation. “The first thing you think is ‘Why?’ The next thing you think is ‘What can I do to help?'”

He added, “To see small children dying of cancer with absolutely no hope, I think, God, I’m one of the lucky ones,” Stewart said. “He must have given me a second chance, and there’s something I’ve got to do with the rest of my life.”

Thank you, Rod Stewart, for your dedication to finding a cure for cancer. Please share this article on Facebook with friends and family to honor him!