To celebrate HELLO!'s 30th birthday, we're looking back at some of our best-loved covers. This week, we remember when Rod Stewart and his wife Penny Lancaster introduced their brand new baby boy, Aiden, to us, from their home in Florida in April 2011. Looking dewy-skinned, tanned and relaxed, Penny didn't look like a woman who had just turned 40, let alone who had given birth a little over a month ago. At the time, Penny mused: "I never thought I'd be breastfeeding at 40. I still can't believe he's here. Aiden is the best birthday present I could have wished for. My family is now complete."
Aiden's arrival was all the more remarkable given how long it took Penny to conceive. After two gruelling IVF treatments ended in failure, she and her music legend husband Rod were having to face the fact that they may never have another child. "I didn't know how many times I could go through IVF," Penny, who also has a son Alastair with her husband, admitted. Thankfully, the former model fell pregnant after the third cycle. "Aiden is our miracle baby," said Rod. "We're delighted he's here."
© Photo: HELLO!Penny and Rod have two sons, Alastair and Aiden
The couple also revealed that their firstborn, Alastair, helped choose his baby brother's name. "Rod chose the name Aiden – he wanted something Celtic," said Penny. "It was between Aiden, Euan and a couple of others. Rod drew up a shortlist, and Alastair liked Aiden best as his and his brother's name would both start with a 'A'."
MORE: Penny and Rod celebrate their engagement in Paris
Describing the water birth, Penny said it was "exactly" as she wanted it to be. "When Aiden was just about to be born I shouted, 'Quick, get my mum.' I wanted her to video it," the Loose Women panellist revealed. "I leant back into Rod's arms and felt the urge to push. The doctor told me to reach down and pull the baby out myself, which I did. I then put him on my chest." Penny added: "I was in a state of euphoria."
MORE: Penny admits she likes her weight gain following childbirth
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