Alert – Beaming Sir Rod Stewart, 79, watches his beloved team Celtic FC smash Rangers 3-0 after he was forced to deny any ‘rift’ with wife Penny Lancaster over full-time return to UK

Sir Rod Stewart was full of smiles as he watched his beloved team Celtic FC smash Rangers 3-0 in the first Old Firm derby of the season in Glasgow on Sunday.

It’s the first time the veteran British rocker, 79, was since seen he was forced to deny any ‘rift’ with wife Penny Lancaster over their full-time return to the United Kingdom.

Brushing off recent rift rumours within their marriage, Rod couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as he watched his favourite team play.

The couple were said to be desperately working on their 17-year marriage after the singer reneged on their plans to sell his $74 million Beverly Hills mansion and return to the UK.

Rod was thought to be unwilling to leave LA, while Penny, 53, did not want to stay in the US despite Rod extending his Las Vegas residency and rejecting two offers on their sprawling property.

Sir Rod Stewart, 79, was full of smiles as he watched his beloved team Celtic FC smash Rangers 3-0 in the first Old Firm derby of the season in Glasgow on Sunday

It’s the first time the veteran British rocker was since seen he was forced to deny any ‘rift’ with wife Penny Lancaster, 53, over their full-time return to the United Kingdom 

The icon claimed he and Penny ‘could not be more in love’ and insisted there is ‘absolutely no rift’ despite claims they clashed over moving decisions. 

Sharing an update to Instagram, he wrote: ‘We wanted to put the record straight. There is absolutely no rift between Penny and I and no disagreement over where we should reside, in fact it’s the opposite.

‘We moved permanently back to our beloved Britain a year ago but are fortunate to also have homes in different countries, which we love to visit.’

Rod continued: ‘Originally We did think it made sense to sell our house in LA, but having spent a wonderful time there this summer with family and friends during my Vegas residency we realised that it makes sense to keep our house there. Two of my eldest children still live in Celtic House (the LA residence).

‘Penny and I could not be more in love with each other after 27 glorious years. Please trust me on this….. there’s no disharmony in our marriage. Rod ‘ a very lucky man ‘ Stewart.’

On Wednesday, DailyMail.com learned the pair are now at a ‘stalemate,’ with Rod  refusing to leave LA, and Penny refusing to stay after he extended his Las Vegas residency and rejected two offers on the sprawling nine-bedroom property just over a month ago.

‘Rod loves his life in LA and he flies back and forth to Vegas for his gigs,’ a well-placed insider said. ‘He gets to spend quality time with his grandchildren and hosts a banquet dinner almost every Sunday night at home for a crowd of his best friends.’

Rod revealed plans to relocate to his native UK in June 2023 when he listed his 33,000-square-foot Beverly Hills abode – which also includes a three-story guesthouse, swimming pool and a sizable soccer pitch for $70 million.

Brushing off recent rift rumours within their marriage, Rod couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as he watched his favourite team play

He couldn’t stop smiling throughout the game

The couple were said to be desperately working on their 17-year marriage after the singer reneged on their plans to sell his $74m Beverly Hills mansion and return full-time to the UK

Rod was thought to be unwilling to leave LA, while Penny, 53, did not want to stay in the US despite Rod extending his Las Vegas residency and rejecting two offers on their sprawling property 

The icon claimed he and Penny ‘could not be more in love’ and insisted there is ‘absolutely no rift’ despite claims they clashed over moving decisions – in a statement on Instagram

He then cranked up the asking price to $80 million in December, before slashing it by $6 million in February to leave a $74 million price tag.

But the rocker has since pulled the property from the market, leaving Penny – who is a regular on UK panel show Loose Women, works as a special constable for the City of London Police and considers the British countryside ‘home’ – fuming.

‘Penny has no plans to return to LA, which she’s not a fan of, while Rod has no plans to move back right now,’ the insider continued.

‘They’re at a stalemate and Penny is angry that Rod’s gone back on his word. It’s about saving their marriage right now.’

DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Stewart and Lancaster for comment. 

Rod, who first moved to LA in 1975, paid $12 million for the land on which he built his yellow stately mansion in 1991 after roping in California architect to the stars Richard Landry.

The property boasts 12 bathrooms, a huge formal dining room for over 20 guests, a speakeasy, a movie theater, a wood-paneled library, a wine room, two gyms, an eat-in chef’s kitchen, a tearoom – and also currently houses his 1,500sq ft model railway.

He confirmed his return to the UK last June, citing his sons’ education as one of the leading factors.

On Wednesday, DailyMail.com learned the pair are now at a ‘stalemate,’ with Rod refusing to leave LA, and Penny refusing to stay after he extended his Las Vegas residency 

‘Penny has no plans to return to LA, which she’s not a fan of, while Rod has no plans to move back right now,’ the insider said

‘The chance of me selling is very, very slim because I really love it so unless I get the right price I won’t sell it,’ he told Chris Evans on Virgin Radio.

‘I love Los Angeles and the American people have been very good to me, but it’s time to leave. My two boys, [17] and 12, are going to school here [UK].’

The Grammy-winner planned to make his palatial Essex estate, known as Durrington House, his permanent residence. He and Lancaster purchased the 10-bedroom, 18th century property back in 2016.

Former swimwear model Penny met the front man back in 1999 when she performed as part of his band while he was still married to his second wife Rachel Hunter. 

Rachel and Rod separated that year and divorced in 2006. He had previously been married to Alana Stewart.

The chart-topper has eight children by five women – daughters Sarah Streeter, 59, Kimberly, 43, Ruby, 35, and Renee, 30, and sons Sean, 42, and Liam, 28, as well as Alastair and Aiden.

He also has three grandchildren, Delilah, 12, and Otis and Louie, both one.

Penny has been open about her marriage to Stewart and their secrets to maintaining a healthy relationship for nearly two decades.

Stewart confirmed his return to the UK last June, citing his sons’ Alastair and Aiden’s education as one of the leading factors (pictured with the wider family back in July)

But she recently alluded to ‘family issues’ while discussing the rift between the royal family and Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on Loose Women.

Asked if they should try to ‘fix’ it all, Lancaster replied: ‘For me, I’m not judging one way or the other – you know, do I like Harry, do I think this or that?

‘I’m looking at the broader picture really, just about the family. We all have family issues to bear from time to time.

‘I think it’s about possibly being able to mend some of those bridges, especially as there have been so many health scares within the family.’

It comes as Penny and Rod once made a pact to ‘never spend more than 10 days apart.’ 

In a resurfaced clip from an episode of Loose Women in 2017, Penny gave her insight into long distance relationships and revealed how she and her husband once vowed to never spend too much time apart. 

Speaking on the ITV programme, she explained: ‘He is still working hard he is not going to retire anytime soon.’

Penny continued: ‘For the first year of our relationship he was in America and I was in the UK, I was still studying at college, so we had that separation. 

In a resurfaced clip from Loose Women in 2017, Penny gave her insight into long distance relationships and revealed how she and Rod once vowed to never spend too much time apart

She said: Penny continued: ‘For the first year of our relationship he was in America and I was in the UK, I was still studying at college, so we had that separation it was too much’  

Former swimwear model Penny met the front man back in 1999 when she performed as part of his band while he was still married to his second wife Rachel Hunter [pictured in 2022]

‘I thought if this is going to work then this is going to make a very strong foundation and it will give us better leverage for later on.  

‘But nowadays with the kids still school and Rod at work, we’ve made a pact to not spend any longer than 10 days apart. The longest we spent apart was two weeks and we were like “this is too much, we can’t do this”.’

Recalling their first meeting on on Loose Women in 2015, Penny revealed how she was ‘dared’ by a friend to go up and ask for his autograph at a concert.  

‘The next day I got an invitation to go and photograph him at a concert because I  was at college at the time,’ she said. 

Rod explained: ‘I got her phone number and I gave it to my bass player, but he kept it for six months, I’d just gone through a break up and he said I wasn’t ready yet.’ 

‘I did call her six months later.’

Penny continued: ‘The funny thing is when I got to photograph him, I though he was asking me out of the kindness of his heart. Then  he called me up six month later and goes “I’d love to see those photos you took.”‘