Sir Rod gives shirt off his back to aid appeal for healthcare heroes
SIR Rod Stewart kicked off an auction to raise money for NHS scrubs by donating his favourite piece of clothing – a signed Celtic shirt.
The singer, 75, who is a huge fan of the Bhoys, also handed over a Cartier watch that he bought two decades ago when he was first dating wife Penny Lancaster.
But proving to be the most popular of all was a chunk of his time – at a post-lockdown lunch he will host with Penny, 49.
The winning bidder paid £100,000 for six tickets to the posh event at London’s Fortnum & Mason, which will also be attended by TV star Holly Willoughby, actor Richard E Grant and radio host Chris Evans.
Food will be cooked by top chef Angela Hartnett.
The event at a date to be set fetched the most money in the online auction, organised by Chris, 54, for the charity Scrubs Glorious Scrubs.
In total £596,000 was raised for the voluntary sewing collaborative, which is making non-surgical scrubs for NHS workers during the pandemic.
Rod’s Celtic shirt fetched £6,000 while his watch was auctioned for £17,000.
The dad of eight has also been showing his support for the NHS by posting photos of himself with Penny and his sons – Aiden and Alistair – banging pans in the weekly Clap for Carers event.
He said of his watch: “I bought that when I met Penny back in the day when I was on holiday in the south of France. It’s a beauty, it’s a men’s watch, it’s a summer watch, it’s white.
“And everybody has seen it because I wear it so much on stage.”
Other popular lots included a lunch with former Scotland striker Alan Brazil, which sold for £23,500.
Paul Gascoigne’s Rangers training top raised £550, while a suit owned by Texas singer Sharleen Spiteri fetched £650. Rob Brydon, Dawn French and presenters Ant and Dec were also among stars donating personal items. A spokesman for Scrubs Glorious Scrubs said: “Thank you to everyone who bid or donated.We are so grateful.”
Separately, Chris’s 11-year-old son Noah had raised more than £120,000 for the cause last night by camping in his family’s back garden for 28 days.