Sir Rod Stewart has opened up about the heartbreak he endured following the end of his marriage to second wife Rachel Hunter.

The 80-year-old rock legend, who first tied the knot with Alana Hamilton in 1979, reflected on the painful split and how it shaped the next chapter of his life, both personally and professionally, Mirror reports.

Rod and Alana, the mother of his children Kimberly and Sean, divorced in 1984. Years later, he married New Zealand-born model Rachel Hunter, who was just 21 at the time, 26 years his junior. Rod was 45.

The couple went on to have two children together: daughter Renee and son Liam.

Despite their early whirlwind romance, the marriage didn’t last. The couple separated in 1999, and their divorce was finalised in 2006.

Rod has now revealed how devastated he was by the split, admitting, “Rachel left me because she was too young. My sister said I should never have married her in the first place, but it tore me to shreds.”

Interestingly, it was just a day after his separation from Rachel that Rod met his current wife, Penny Lancaster. Recalling their first meeting, he told The Times that she had asked for his autograph.

He then asked her if she liked dancing. “She was an incredible dancer, gorgeous, [and wearing] 6ft 4in heels,” he said fondly, describing the moment with clear affection.