The playful banter and evident affection between Rod Stewart and Sarah Streeter are heartwarming, painting a picture familiar to many fathers and daughters. A gentle ribbing about phone usage from the veteran rocker is met with Sarah’s easy laughter, showcasing a comfortable intimacy that belies years of separation.
Later, concern creases Sarah’s brow as she gently questions Rod, the 73-year-old music icon, about a foot injury sustained while playing football with his young sons, Alastair, 12, and Aiden, 7. This tender moment unfolded during a recent record store signing event for Rod’s latest album, Blood Red Roses, an occasion to which Sarah and her husband, Chris, were warmly invited. The trio had enjoyed a relaxed pre-event gathering for drinks at London’s prestigious Dorchester Hotel, a cherished spot of Rod’s, further cementing their familial connection.
“It was just lovely to catch up, just the three of us,” Sarah fondly recounts.
Rod Stewart and Sarah Streeter share a warm and affectionate moment, highlighting their close father-daughter relationship
This recent encounter serves as another testament to the deepening bond between Rod Stewart and Sarah Streeter, his eldest daughter – a child born when Rod was just 17. Given up for adoption in her infancy, Sarah grew up without Rod’s presence, a void that would cast a long shadow over her early life.
For many years, this estrangement was a source of profound pain for Sarah, who only discovered the identity of her famous birth father as an 18-year-old. However, as first revealed by the Mail five years prior, the passing of Sarah’s adoptive parents – her mother Evelyn in 2007 – paved the way for a tentative reconciliation. Over time, this fragile connection has blossomed into a genuine and mutual affection, reshaping their lives and family narrative.
“It’s evolved significantly over the past few years,” Sarah reflects. “It has taken time because he isn’t just my dad, is he? He’s a massive star. That naturally complicates things, especially when you, like me, are not brimming with confidence.”
She continues, “But as the years have passed, it’s become far more relaxed, and now he’s simply ‘Dad’ to me. You can’t escape the reality of Rod Stewart the star, but when we are together, I consciously put that aside. I’m not engaging with that persona but with Rod the man – my dad. I genuinely feel like a part of his extended family now, which is truly wonderful.”
This sentiment is wholeheartedly reciprocated by Rod, who at 73, has spoken warmly of Sarah in recent interviews. He has openly addressed his past guilt and expressed immense joy at their current relationship. “She calls me Dad, and I call her my daughter… we’re doing our best,” he shared candidly last month.
Sarah, who bears a striking resemblance to her renowned father, is now ready to share the extraordinary depth of their journey. Their reconciliation unfolded against a backdrop of personal struggles, including battles with drink and drug addiction, a chapter of her life she hadn’t previously felt able to discuss openly.
With courage, Sarah now admits to a history of cocaine and alcohol abuse that plagued much of her early thirties. While she initially found recovery, the grief following Evelyn’s death triggered a devastating relapse, leading her into a dark period of crack cocaine addiction.
“Why I am still here, I truly don’t know,” she confesses with raw honesty. “I carry immense guilt for the pain I inflicted on people. The impact on my family and loved ones was devastating.”
“But I’ve chosen to speak about it now because I believe in the importance of honesty, and to demonstrate that even when you reach your lowest point, recovery is possible.”
Her famous father has been unwavering in his support throughout this journey. “I confided in Rod about it relatively early on, and he was deeply concerned,” Sarah reveals.
“Of course, this isn’t entirely new territory for him. His eldest son, Sean, has faced drug problems in the past, and Kimberly has had her own struggles with alcohol, although they are all doing incredibly well now.”
“There’s absolutely no judgment from him. I don’t dwell on it now, but he consistently asks if I’m doing okay.”
Rod Stewart with Penny Lancaster and his younger children, Alastair and Aiden, showcasing his family life alongside his wife and sons
Fans have speculated whether Sarah’s experiences might have inspired Rod’s single Didn’t I, from his new album, a poignant song about a parent’s empathy for a daughter battling relapse.
“I believe it was actually about Sean, but it highlights how attuned Rod is to these issues,” Sarah clarifies.
The challenges Sarah has navigated throughout her life stand in stark contrast to the celebrated trajectory of her father’s career. Rod Stewart’s illustrious 50-year journey has been marked by international fame, a string of glamorous relationships, and marriages to models.
Married three times – first to Alana Stewart, with whom he has Kimberly, 39, and Sean, 38; then to Rachel Hunter, mother to Renee, 26, and Liam, 24; and currently to Penny Lancaster, mother to Alastair and Aiden – Rod has fathered six children within marriage, and a daughter, Ruby, 31, with model Kelly Emberg.
Sarah’s arrival predates all of this, born from a teenage romance between Rod and his art student girlfriend, Susannah Boffey.
When Susannah became pregnant, the young couple, overwhelmed and following societal norms of the time, made the difficult decision to place Sarah for adoption.
Sarah Streeter describes herself as fortunate to have been raised in the peaceful countryside of rural Sussex
Sarah readily acknowledges her fortunate upbringing. Raised in the idyllic countryside of rural Sussex by Evelyn and Gerald Thubron, whose biological son Colin is now a distinguished travel writer, Sarah enjoyed a happy childhood, entirely unaware that the iconic singer dominating the charts in the Seventies was her biological father.
Discovering the truth from her adoptive parents was a profound shock. While Sarah and Rod met briefly in her twenties, their relationship never truly solidified.
By the late 1980s, contact dwindled, the vast differences in their lives seemingly insurmountable. For nearly two decades, communication was almost non-existent.
It was during this period that Sarah, working as a carer, first grappled with addiction, becoming dependent on cocaine. “I was single, in my late 20s, and fell in with the wrong crowd,” she explains. “I think it was the absence of having a child; there was this huge void in my life.”
“Cocaine filled that void.”
While Sarah maintains these feelings weren’t directly linked to her famous father, it’s hard not to consider the potential impact of witnessing his glamorous world from afar, while feeling a sense of detachment.
Her cocaine addiction, which she says lasted about a year, was overcome with the unwavering support of her adoptive family. However, it was soon replaced by an escalating alcohol addiction.
“It’s classic addict behavior – substituting one addiction for another,” she explains. “I developed a severe drinking problem – we’re talking vodka for breakfast. It was incredibly distressing for Mum.”
Rod Stewart shares a deeply moving account about his reconciliation with Sarah Streeter, the daughter he gave up for adoption
“My brother Colin generously funded a stay at the Priory in Brighton, but I left after just two days to get a drink – and of course, once you do that, you can’t return. So, all that money was wasted.” Her rock bottom arrived one morning when she awoke convinced she was dying.
“I was desperately ill,” she recalls. “I realized I couldn’t continue like this, and, crucially, I had to stop for Mum’s sake.”
Again, with the steadfast support of her parents and Colin, she managed to recover and found domestic stability when, at 38, she met her husband Chris, a supermarket manager.
“He was my lodger, and I ended up marrying him,” she smiles warmly.
This happiness was tragically short-lived. In 2007, Evelyn passed away at the age of 97. “I knew she couldn’t live forever, but the pain of losing her was beyond words,” Sarah recounts.
In the aftermath of this devastating loss, someone offered her crack cocaine. “He just said, ‘Try this’ – and that was it. There was no turning back; I was addicted,” she says. “It was the only thing that dulled the pain.”
“Chris was heartbroken when he realized. He felt utterly helpless.”
Sarah’s crack cocaine addiction persisted for years – she confides she was still using when she first reconnected with Rod – but once again, through sheer willpower and the pleas of Chris and Colin, she managed to break free from the habit, only to relapse into alcohol abuse. This relentless cycle strained her closest relationships to their breaking point.
“I tried to hide my drinking from Chris, but of course, he knew,” she remembers. “At one point, he told me he would have to leave if I couldn’t get myself sorted out. I think that’s what shocked me into taking action. I just forced myself to stop. It wasn’t easy. You have to truly want to do it.”
Sarah Streeter and Rod Stewart pictured together at a recent album release event, demonstrating their strengthened father-daughter relationship
She has now been sober from alcohol for two years and drug-free for even longer. However, the impact of her past continues to resonate. “It’s been a significant part of my life – it’s shaped who I am today,” she reflects. “When you’ve experienced something like this, you always feel vulnerable.”
Ironically, this challenging period coincided with the burgeoning connection with Rod. He reached out to Sarah after Evelyn’s passing, initiating their journey toward reconciliation.
“Looking back, I realize he was in a delicate position while my adoptive parents were still alive. I think he didn’t want to intrude or upset them after all those years,” she reasons.
As their relationship gently progressed, Rod began using “Dad” in cards and emails.
“He was the first to use the word, which felt strange initially because ‘Dad’ was always the man who raised me. But time is a great healer, and I’ve become accustomed to it,” she explains. Those early, tentative meetings – sometimes lunch, sometimes coffee during Rod’s London visits – evolved into a more relaxed and natural dynamic.
“We meet up occasionally when Rod’s in town – he still spends a lot of time abroad, and with eight children in total, fitting everyone in isn’t easy,” Sarah smiles.
“But we also exchange friendly emails, and while phone calls aren’t my forte, I know I could call him anytime if needed.”
“I don’t, because I don’t feel the need to – but just knowing I can is enough.”
Rod also provides Sarah with financial support annually. While she prefers not to disclose the amount, she acknowledges its positive impact.
“I didn’t ask for it; it just happened,” she says.
“It’s not life-changing wealth, but it is helpful, and it arrived at exactly the right time. Initially, it helped us clear debts accumulated due to my addiction, and now it’s there for us to use as we wish – which is wonderful.”
Rod Stewart celebrates the success of his album, Blood Red Roses, which reached Number 1, marking another milestone in his celebrated career
Over the years, Sarah has met all but one of her half-siblings and has enjoyed several gatherings with Rod and Penny, whom she describes as “lovely.” However, she acknowledges that while her half-siblings have been welcoming, a deep closeness may remain elusive.
“My sisters, in particular, are incredibly glamorous and impeccably presented. I wasn’t raised in their world, and I suppose I feel somewhat self-conscious around them.”
“It’s a shame I haven’t met Sean yet, as I think we would connect. We share similar experiences with drink and drug issues and rebuilding our lives. But there’s still time for that.”
Recently, Sarah has also re-established contact with her birth mother. Their relationship had been strained for a long time.
While Sarah met Susannah around the same time she met Rod, their relationship didn’t flourish then either. They experienced a public falling out five years ago when Susannah, now 74, accused her former lover of romanticizing their teenage romance in a song on his album Time. Susannah felt the album contained overly intimate and seemingly autobiographical songs that misrepresented their past.
Susannah stated at the time: “The reality is that he’s got a daughter whose life he messed up for a long time – and my life, too.”
While Sarah initially condemned these sentiments, she now reflects: “I tried to put myself in her shoes, and the more I considered it, the more I realized she did have a difficult time and would likely always struggle to forgive him.”
“I realized that if it were me, I don’t think I could either.”
The two are now in email contact, and Sarah is planning a visit to France, where Susannah resides. “I would definitely like to see her again,” she says.
“As you get older, your perspectives shift. I simply desire peace in all aspects of my life.”
It’s a peace that has been hard-earned, but one that Sarah is determined to maintain – a sentiment clearly shared by her famous father.
