Sir Rod Stewart has said he was "born to be a show-off" and could not have been anything but a rock star.

The singer-songwriter, 73, also said knowing what being in the spotlight would be like would not have put him off pursuing a career in the music industry.

In A Letter To My Younger Self in The Big Issue magazine, he said: "The idea of being splashed all over the tabloids for years - that wouldn't bother the young Rod.

"He'd love the thought of all that attention.

"He was born to be a show-off. With a nose and haircut like that there was nothing he could have been but a rock star.

"I always say that to Ronnie Wood. What else could we have been?

"We weren't going to work in Sainsbury's, that's for sure. There's nothing wrong with working in Sainsbury's by the way."

He also said "the 16-year-old Rod wouldn't believe I'm still doing this at 73".

"He would be totally surprised that I'm absolutely still enjoying it as much now as I did back then," he said.

"And I mean that, it's not bulls***."

The Big Issue, the magazine sold by vendors to lift themselves out of poverty, is available to buy from September 17 across the UK for £2.50.