Rod Stewart's ex-wife Alana "fell apart" after her split from the singer in 1984 and reveals she once contemplated suicide.

Alana Stewart divorced the "Forever Young" hitmaker in 1984 after five years of marriage and two kids, and opening up about the pain of the split on "Today" on Thursday, the former model, who also has one son from her previous marriage to actor George Hamilton, said it was a "fairytale" marriage that lost its magic.

She explained, "We were so madly in love in the beginning... but suddenly I had three children, three very small children, and I wanted a different lifestyle, I wanted to stay home with my kids. And we just started to grow apart and the fairytale fell apart."

And Alana admits their separation led her down a dark path towards depression, which clouded her ability to be a good mother.

She continued, "I do wish I had been a better mum because after Rod and I broke up, I really fell apart emotionally and I don't think I was the most stable person in the world. I did (think about suicide), but I knew I couldn't leave my children and I knew I had to find some kind of strength within me to get through. That's when I started on a more spiritual journey."