Penny Lancaster shared the moment she reached 'boiling point' after Rod Stewart's cancer diagnosis and resorted to medication on Thursday's episode of Loose Women. 

The 54 year old, who married the singer in 2007, joined Kaye Adams, 63, Nadia Sawalha, 61, and Jane Moore, 63, on the panel to chat about the latest news and headlines.

Emmerdale's latest storyline about Cain Dingle's prostate cancer diagnosis allowed Penny to open up about her own experience with the disease. 

'Prostate cancer affects the prostate gland under the bladder and usually happens to men over 50 years old. There are different treatments and it can often be cured if diagnosed early,' according to the NHS website.  

Rod revealed was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2016, but only made it public when he had beaten it in September 2019. 

Penny explained that she 'honored' Rod's wish to keep it between just them two, to which Nadia pointed out how hard it must have been and said: 'I cannot imagine having to do that...'

Penny, who she shares sons Alastair and Aiden with Rod, replied: 'Well it was staying positive for him. 

'Keeping that smile on my face, going "It's going to be alright darling, we're going to sort this out". 

'And then where do I put my feelings? My fears, my traumas about that whole thing. 

'So it was like putting a lid on a boiling pot.

'In the end something had to go. I remember I was on the panel with you girls.

'It was the time when it was the Me Too movement, and out of nowhere, I'd never spoken about it, I'd talked about a sexual abuse situation that had happened to me when I was younger and it was something that I had buried for a long, long time. 

'It was like something had to give I suppose. 

'I did seek some help because trying to deal with that coming out and then keeping Rod's diagnosis in, I did supplement my own strengths with some medication to help balance things out. 

'Soon after, once we did discuss it more publicly, I was able to wean myself off and cope, but it was like treading water and feeling like I was going to drown at one point.'

Penny made reference to when she opened up about how she was sexually assaulted as a young teen while on Loose Women with Andrea McLean, Jane and Nadia in 2017.   

Recalling how difficult it was to deal with as a couple to deal with Rod's illness, Penny said: 'That was the hard bit, he said to me "Please, keep this just between me and you. And I mean just you and me". 

'Of course I honored that. But I was the one talking to the doctors, going through all the different options and helping him make that decision. 

'Whereas he wasn't burying his head, but he knew, I've got to stay positive here. I'm not going to let this change my life. I'm going to continue being on tour, which was incredible.

'I really believe in the positive thinking to help you cope with that.' 

Back in 2019 Sir Rod Stewart revealed he had beaten prostate cancer after secretly battling it for three years before being given the all clear. 

The Maggie May singer was diagnosed in 2016 but said the disease was caught in the early stages during a routine checkup.  

Rod revealed his plight during a fundraising evening with former Faces bandmates Kenney Jones and Ronnie Wood, The Mirror reported. 

'Two years ago I was ­diagnosed with prostate cancer,' he said. 

 Sir Rod added: 'No one knows this, but I thought this was about time I told everybody.

'I'm in the clear, now, simply because I caught it early. I have so many tests.'

Loose Women airs weekdays from 12:30pm on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.