After watching news with his wife, the 'Maggie May' hitmaker decides to rent a home for a family of seven who fled war-torn Ukraine following the invasion of Russia.
- Oct 18, 2022
AceShowbiz - Sir Rod Stewart has sheltered a family of seven Ukrainian refugees in a rented house. Vowing to pay the rent and bills for at least a year, the 77-year-old music legend has forked out for a house in Berkshire and furnished the abode for husband and wife Rostyslav and Olena and their children, Taras, 17, Kostya, 16, Roman, 13, Mariia, 10, and Dymtro, two, after they fled their war-torn nation following the invasion by Vladimir Putin's Russia.
After he and wife Penny Lancaster, 51, watched the devastating scenes unfold on the news one night, Rod decided to take action. "Words couldn't describe what we were watching. The bombing of innocent children, the bombing of hospitals and playgrounds," he said.
"Like everyone else, we were completely beside ourselves. I don't wish that one anyone. This is evil, pure evil. I was born just after the [Second World] War, so my family have lots of memories of it. That's how devastating it was to me. I didn't think we would see the likes of land war with tanks again."
Rod and his nephew Warren then hatched a plan to fill trucks up with supplies and take them to the Ukrainian border. The "I Don't Want to Talk About It" hitmaker was keen to take the trip himself, but was advised against it, and the trucks brought 16 refugees back to Berlin.
Afterwards, he got in contact with Rostyslav and his family - who were not part of the 16 brought back by his vehicle - and the singer has also given two other refugees jobs on his Essex estate. Rod joked the family knew who he was because he left "about 500 CDs" around the house for them, and admitted it was "really wonderful" meeting them for the first time.
He added to the Daily Mirror newspaper, "I walked through the door and they all came running down the stairs, all beautifully dressed in Ukrainian national costume. It was so lovely that they all made that effort. They made me a cup of tea and we had loads of biscuits and chocolates, although the baby kept nicking all of mine. It really was wonderful."
Rostyslav and Olena said in a statement, "Many thanks to Sir Rod Stewart, Warren Cady, his parents and their family for their openness and genuine and big hearts. Thanks to their sponsorship and Warren's hard work, our children are now safe and able to learn normally in school."
"We thank the British Government and residents of Bracknell, the teachers of our children and the entire British people for their tireless and invaluable assistance to Ukraine. We pray daily for God's blessings on Sir Rod, Warren, their family and all the British people."
