Rod Stewart has revealed why he was absent from the Live Aid line-up in 1985, stating that he had “only just found out” the real reason.

It had previously been suggested that the Scottish singer was unable to put a band together at short notice, despite having recently completed a world tour, but it now seems the decision had been taken out of Stewart’s hands.

“We actually were supposed to do it,” he told the BBC yesterday (November 16), “but a few guys in the band told me that our ex-manager turned it down because I wasn’t getting the right news coverage.

“He only wanted me to do it if I got on the CBS news at 10 o’clock. He said, ‘If not, he’s not doing it’. And that’s not what it was all about. It was to raise money for kids. It wasn’t about what news channel you were going to be on in America.

“I only just found this out,” he added. “I thought it was weird that I didn’t do it.”

Stewart released his 32nd studio album, ‘The Tears Of Hercule’, last week on November 12.

Earlier this month (November 6), Burna Boy shared his plans to host a new Live Aid-style concert next year to raise money for Africa.

“Sometime next year, my dream is to make a concert happen, similar to Live Aid,” started the post, with the Nigerian rapper adding that he wanted to host the event “in the biggest stadium in the UK with any/all artists who care”.