ROCKER Rod Stewart said he was overjoyed to be awarded a CBE in the New Year Honours. The singer received the news at his home in Palm Springs, California.

He said: "It is a great honour and I am overjoyed.

"Although I am living in California, I am very proud to be British.

"We will be celebrating the good news later today."

Stewart, 61, was given the honour for services to music after five decades in the business.

He has sold more than 200 million records and is one of the biggest-selling British artists of all time.

He has enjoyed 62 hit singles -24 top ten hits and six number ones, including Maggie May, Sailing and Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?

His recent Great American Songbook set is one of the most successful album series in history.

In 1989, he received a Grammy Living Legend Award.

Stewart was born in London, but his father was Scottish and he remains fiercely proud of his Scots heritage.

The singer became a father for the seventh time in November last year when fiancee Penny Lancaster gave birth to son Alistair.

He has two children by former wife Rachel Hunter, two by first wife Alana Stewart, a daughter by former girlfriend Kelly Emberg and another daughter born of a teenage romance.

His divorce from New Zealand-born model Hunter came through last month after 16 years, and he plans to marry Lancaster in the new year.