‘Happy Hogmanay!’ Rod Stewart embraces his Scottish roots as he welcomes 2021 in a green tartan hat while enjoying a bagpipe soundtrack
Sir Rod Stewart counted himself among the many celebrities who took to social media to make record of themselves waving goodbye to 2020 on Thursday night.
The moment the clock ticked past midnight and into 2021, the legendary singer, 75, shared a video of himself embracing his Scottish roots as he sat at his dining table.
Donning a green tartan hat while a bagpipe soundtrack played in the background, the star jovially boomed: ‘Hi there, this is Rod wishing everybody a Happy New Year.’
Welcoming 2021: Sir Rod Stewart counted himself among the many celebrities who took to social media to make record of themselves waving goodbye to 2020 on Thursday night
Being sure to acknowledge Scottish New Year celebrations, Rod, who was born in north London to an English mother and Scottish father, concluded: ‘And to my friends north of the border, a Happy Hogmanay. Cheers!’
Wearing a black polka dot top with a red-and-black scarf, the Maggie May hitmaker held a large glass of red aloft as he shared his warm wishes.
Further into Friday morning, Rod returned to Twitter to share a clip of his rendition of Auld Lang Syne, as he wrote: ‘After this rotten year, we’ll tak’ a cup o’ kindness yet! May 2021 bring us together to celebrate with music and friends.’
Accompanying imagery saw the star cutting a dapper figure in a classic black tuxedo as he posed with a glass of bubbly in his hand.
Celebration: The moment the clock ticked past midnight and into 2021, the legendary singer, 75, shared a video of himself embracing his Scottish roots as he sat at his dining table
Scottish roots: Donning a green tartan hat while a bagpipe soundtrack played in the background, the star boomed, ‘Hi there, this is Rod wishing everybody a Happy New Year’
Rod, who splits his time between the US and UK, is the father of eight children, two of whom are with his wife of 13 years Penny Lancaster, 49.
He joined a host of stars forced to celebrate the New Year in a far more subdued manner than usual, following a Tier 4 lockdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Britain declared a record-high 55,892 coronavirus cases and almost 1,000 more deaths on Thursday, with government scientists warning even a March-style national lockdown with schools closed might not be enough to hold the R rate below one.
A grim assessment from SAGE says the new variant behind the spiraling second wave appears so much more contagious that the blanket restrictions imposed in November would be ‘highly unlikely’ to contain the spread.
Cheers: Rod, who was born in north London to an English mother and Scottish father, concluded, ‘And to my friends north of the border, a Happy Hogmanay. Cheers’
Closing schools to all but the children of key workers and the vulnerable, as happened in the Spring, could bring the crucial reproduction rate down further but it is still ‘not known’ whether it would succeed in suppressing the outbreak.
The picture was revealed as Department of Health bosses posted the highest number of positive tests in a day since the disease first reached British soil in January.
Officials also announced 964 deaths, following on from yesterday’s grim figure of 981, which was the deadliest day since April.
Despite the dire outlook, many celebrities managed to celebrate the end of 2020 and the start of the New Year on Thursday, taking to their respective social media accounts to share their best wishes for a brighter 2021.
Singing in the New Year: Further into Friday morning, Rod returned to Twitter to share a clip of his rendition of Auld Lang Syne