Rod Stewart ashamed over past breakups

Rod Stewart and his wife Penny Lancaster. Photo/AP

Rod Stewart is "ashamed" of running away from past relationships including his marriage to Kiwi model Rachel Hunter.

The music icon has been married three times - to Hunter, Alana Hamilton and currently Penny Lancaster - admits he had a tendency to run away from failing romances.

He said: "The one thing I am desperately ashamed of is the way I would finish relationships. I can have confrontation with a bloke but never with a woman, I just have to run away from it. It's sad, it's shallow and I'm embarrassed about it."

Stewart shed 5kg and threw himself into yoga, psychotherapy and self-help books after Hunter dumped him in 1999.

However, he admitted he deserved the breakup because of how poorly he had treated women in the past.

The 68-year-old rocker said he is now a changed man and claimed he was constantly "looking for that perfect woman" when he was younger.

He revealed to the Daily Telegraph newspaper: "It was a long time ago. I was loyal to Rachel for seven years, and I've been with Penny for 13.

"I think I was always looking for that perfect woman, who obviously doesn't exist. I wanted to be married. I wanted more kids. I'm a family man, at heart."

Still, Stewart did admit he doesn't think many men would have behaved differently, given similar "opportunities".

He said: "I was shagging my way round the world, like most blokes probably would if they had my opportunities."

- Bang! Showbiz