Rod Stewart's daughter Ruby shares beautiful rare family photo of him with seven of his eight children

When it comes to blended families, Sir Rod Stewart knows how to do it right!

The music legend has been on a "long overdue" holiday with seven of his children in sunny Italy.

While enjoying some downtime together, the Stewarts also posed for a rare family photo together in front of a beautiful villa.

In the snap, the proud father-of-eight can be seen standing with his wife Penny Lancaster and his children Alastair, 16, Sean, 41, Kimberly, 42, Ruby, 35, Renee 30, Aiden, 11, and Liam, 27.

The only one not present was Rod’s oldest daughter, Sarah, 53, whom he had with ex Susannah Boffey.

Posting the heartwarming photo to Instagram, Ruby thanked her "incredible" stepmother Penny for organising the holiday and "getting everyone together."

In the emotional message to Penny, Ruby wrote: "I left Italy with my heart as full as my belly… Our last family vacation was in 2015, so this one was well overdue.

"We all live in different places now and sometimes we miss some pretty important milestones in one another's life. It can be difficult getting us all together, but the incredible @penny.lancaster managed to do it this time."

She continued: "This trip was so much more than a vacation, but a bonding experience. We laughed, we cried, caught up on lost time, we sang and danced, even suffered from a few water sport injuries. I am beyond grateful for this mixed batch of personalities that is the Stewart Clan. I don’t know where I’d be without you lot. Love you guys…

"Thank you dad for reminding us of the importance of family and thank you Penny for always bringing us together again." 

The 'Sailing' singer and his family were believed to be staying on the super yacht St David, which sleeps 12 people and costs an eye-watering £274,000 per week to hire.

The 197ft luxury vessel features six guest cabins and can accommodate 14 crew members.