Rod: I'm sorry Kelly

by ALISON BOSHOFF, Daily Mail

As a walking embodiment of the saying gentlemen prefer blondes, few could compare to Rod Stewart.

His line-up of leggy exes is legendary - but now he has admitted his behaviour towards one particular blonde was less than gentlemanly.

'She is the most wonderful woman in the world and I messed her around terribly,' said the singer.

However, the touching compliment is not addressed to his current girlfriend, Penny Lancaster, or even his estranged wife Rachel Hunter.

Of all the blondes in his life, the 56-year-old star singled out Kelly Emberg, who left him a decade ago when his womanising became too much to bear.

In an interview with this month's GQ magazine, Stewart says he wants to apologise to the Texan model.

She spent six years with him, but ended their romance shortly after their daughter Ruby was born. Stewart says Kelly is 'a great girl.' He adds: 'She looks better now than she did when I was going out with her, which is quite remarkable. She's the only one, though.'

It was not clear what prompted his pang of conscience. But the singer is still great friends with Miss Emberg, whom he sees regularly with 12-year-old Ruby.

He started dating her in 1983, while still married to his first wife Alana. They set up home together in 1985 and declared themselves blissfully happy, despite the 15-year age gap.

But behind the smiles, there were terrible rows and she threatened to leave him over his affairs. They finally split up in 1990 and Stewart soon met and married Miss Hunter.

In a recent interview, Miss Emberg said: 'It is very hard being in love with someone and knowing that they are wrong for you. I thought about breaking up with Rod for a whole year before I finally made the decision to do it.

'But once I turned 30 and had a good look at my life and situation, I realised Rod didn't want to marry me.'

Stewart admits he still has a roving eye and he briefly split up with 29-year-old Miss Lancaster while he dated model Caprice in 1999.

Asked about being unfaithful, he said it all starts when he sees a woman and wonders what it would be like to sleep with her.

'When I was married to Rachel, I never fancied anyone else,' he said. 'Seriously. But I still find my eye wandering on occasion. I'm with a girl now who I've been with a year and I still find myself looking.'

In another blow for student Miss Lancaster, he is reluctant to get a divorce since separating from Miss Hunter in 1999 after eight years of marriage.

Stewart said last week that, because neither he nor his wife have met people they want to marry, there is little point. He added: 'I love being on my own. I can do exactly what I want.'

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