Rod Stewart has revealed that he warned his former partners about what they were "getting" themselves into.

The legendary singer, who has fathered six children with four ex-partners, Alana Stewart, Suzannah Hourde, Kelly Emberg and Rachel Hunter, and two more with current wife Penny Lancaster, opened up about his experiences of fatherhood.

In a discussion on an episode of Sunday with Miriam, Rod confessed to having "missed out" on parts of his children's upbringing due to his demanding career, but insisted he had given his exes fair warning.

He said: "I think most dads think they've made mistakes. I mean, my big mistake was I spent a lot of time on the road away from home, you know, in the late 70s, early 80s."

He went on to say: "So I sort of missed out on Kim and Sean's upbringing. I've since adjusted that now. You know, I spend a lot of time at home with the kids, but you can't stop me from going out on tour."

He added: "This is what I say to their mothers. I say: 'Look, you know what you were getting yourself in for. Don't expect me to give this up now. This is what I love. There's a happy medium somewhere'."

Rod shares Kimberley Stewart, 45, and Sean Stewart, 43, with his first wife Alana, reports the Daily Record.

He once joked on Loose Women that he had so many children because he had a "naughty winkle" when he was younger.

In his youth at 17, he fathered his eldest daughter, Sarah, who was placed for adoption, but they have since reunited.

Opening up on the topic of mortality with The Sun last month, Rod shared his new outlook.

At 79, having overcome both prostate and thyroid cancer, the iconic 'I Don't Want To Talk About It' crooner admitted to a heightened health awareness.

Despite acknowledging that his "days are numbered", Stewart affirmed his resolve to continue "enjoying" life to the fullest.