(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Rod Stewart says he "should have known better" than to marry Rachel Hunter because she was so young.

The musician met the model when she was 21 and he was 24 years older. They married in 1990 and split in 1999, with Rachel deciding to end things.

Rod was devastated when the marriage broke down, although looking back he can see why it didn't work.

"I didn't have the tools [to deal with her leaving] because it hadn't happened to me ever. As far as I could remember I don't think anyone had ever left me or walked out on me so when it did happen, I just fell apart. Literally fell apart," he told TV show Daybreak. "Upstairs with a hot water bottle on my chest because it ached so badly. I must admit as we were walking down the aisle my sister did say to my brother, This will end in tears, she's too young.' And obviously it did end in tears because she was too young and I should have known better."

Rod opens up about the marriage and his other romances in his new book Rod: The Autobiography.

Many of these relationships didn't end well and the 67-year-old doesn't like thinking about how he treated some of the women in his life.

"Finishing romances, I must admit, it's always been my very, very weak point which I'm embarrassed about. Maybe it's because I've never who does enjoy confrontations? I'd always take the slip out the back door', which was far from admirable and it's one thing I do regret," he said. (C) Cover Media