TV presenter and musician is friends with the ‘Do Ya Think I’m Sexy’ rocker, and released a swing album with him last year

Jools Holland has opened up about a hobby he shares with his longtime friend Rod Stewart, which he says helps with both his physical and mental health.

The popular TV host and musician will return with his show Later… with Jools Holland on BBC2 this spring.

A spin-off of The Late Show, the programme has been running since 1992 and stars a number of established and emerging artists performing in front of a live audience.

Over the years, Holland has welcomed guests including Foals, Skepta, Amy Winehouse, Hozier, Paul McCartney, St Vincent and FKA twigs.

In a first-person piece forThe Times, Holland revealed that one of the things he enjoys most in his downtime is visiting his model railway sets.

“On work mornings there’s no time to visit my little studio at home or indulge in my passion for model railways,” he wrote.

“Rod Stewart and I are both enthusiasts but I don’t know whose is bigger. Anyway, it’s not always about size, it’s what you do with it.”

Jools Holland shares an unlikely hobby with Rod Stewart (Getty)

He continued: “When I do have the time for my model railway, I relax. Rod and I both agree that, like music, they are incredibly good for mental and physical health.

“That was especially true in 2014 when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer after a routine blood test. I’d no symptoms; the news came out of the blue. I soon learnt that worrying can be worse than the problem itself, and my treatment was a success.”

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The 156 sq metre (1,674 sq ft) model features skyscrapers, bridgers, traffic scenes and a 900 ft mainline train track that runs through a detailed cityscape.

The “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” star built the set over a period of 23 years before unveiling it in 2019.

Speaking to Railway Modeller magazine last year, he said he plans to develop the scene by adding lights to some of the buildings and skyscrapers, as well as thunder and lightning effects.

He famously called Jeremy Vine’s radio show in 2019 after the presenter suggested he did not make the set himself, insisting he had built 90 per cent of it with the exception of the electrical elements: “So I had someone else do that.”

Stewart and Holland released a new swing album, Swing Fever, in February last year.

Stewart recently celebrated his 80th birthday with his wife, Penny Lancaster, and their friends Ronnie Wood and his wife, Sally Humphreys Wood.

“Really fun night celebrating Rod’s 80th!” Wood, 77, wrote in the caption of his Instagram post.

Stewart is preparing to perform at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, after he was announced for the Legends Slot on the Pyramid Stage on Sunday 29 June.

The veteran rocker shared the news from his social media in November, writing: “I’m absolutely thrilled to announce that I’ll be playing Glastonbury 2025!

“After all these years, I’m proud and ready and more than able to take the stage again to pleasure and titillate my friends at Glastonbury in June. I’ll see you there!”