Gavin Rossdale's five letter gaffe in Abramovich note

As one of the most successful rock stars of his generation, a major perk of Gavin Rossdale's stardom came when the lifelong Chelsea fan was invited to stay on the luxury yacht of the Premier League side's controversial owner, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich.

Rossdale, his then wife - fellow superstar singer Gwen Stefani - and the couple's three sons enjoyed a fabulous break in the South of France. But Rossdale's friendship with the Chelsea owner faltered when he unintentionally made a huge mistake in a note thanking Abramovich for his hospitality.

Recalling the hilarious gaffe, Bush singer Rossdale tells the Daily Express: "I had the best experience, living that glamorous life on a 400ft yacht.

"I was well brought up, so writing Roman a thank-you note was the right thing to do. It felt proper to try to write it in Russian. AI wasn't as smart at the time, and nor was Google Translate. 'Dear Roman' came out as 'Dear Catholic'. I'm not sure what Roman made of my note, but he probably read it and went: 'Who the hell is Catholic?'"

Rossdale was initially friends with the oligarch's then wife, Dasha, and admits: "As a Chelsea fan, who wouldn't have wanted to be mates with Roman Abramovich? Dasha was incredibly generous and I lived that life two or three times with her and Roman. I got to play ping-pong with him. But my life isn't like that whatsoever, normally."

Although Rossdale grew up in Swiss Cottage, North London, his band Bush are famed for being more successful in the States than they were back home. They've sold over 10 million albums in the US alone. And while Rossdale and Stefani divorced in 2016 after 14 years of marriage, the rocker still lives in Los Angeles, where he first moved to once Bush became a stateside smash.

"I literally am the American dream," he says of his US glory. "I'd tried and failed in England, then took a leap of faith. I signed my record deal after years of failure in the same area of LA where I now live. It's weird how life does that to you. But I had one shot at success and I took it."

Rossdale is able to laugh off Bush's relative lack of acclaim back in Britain, where their only Top 10 album, Razorblade Suitcase, reached No 4 in 1996 after it had become a chart-topping multi-platinum smash in the US.

Bush made grunge rock in the vein of Nirvana and Pearl Jam at the exact moment the likes of Oasis, Blur and Pulp were enormous successes in Britain.

"I've done everything wrong," smiles Rossdale over a video call from his LA office. "I played this style of music during Britpop. What a dumb idea!"

Of course, Rossdale can afford to laugh about becoming an accidental US superstar.

He'd struggled for years in a series of bands before forming Bush in 1992. Aged 27, he had been on the verge of giving up music when Bush finally got signed.

Rossdale, 59, says of his break: "People had started to give up on me and even I was starting to get worried. I'd been nonchalant before then, because my view was, 'How could people not see the incredible vision in my music?'

"Now, I can see that I wasn't failing in all those years before Bush. Really, I was gathering momentum. Everyone rejected me for my voice and I needed to turn my voice into something good enough to get me signed." As a youngster who was into punk bands like The Sex Pistols, Rossdale was also obsessed with Tinseltown.

He recalls: "I loved skateboarding, so I idolised places like San Diego and LA. I was this parochial North London kid, who knew nothing about LA other than some glamorous picture postcard I had in my head.

"Still, I thought LA was this mythical Xanadu where everything would be perfect."

Despite his decades in LA, Rossdale still sees himself as a Brit abroad, insisting: "I'll always be a Brit, because I have an English sense of humour about everything.

"I just don't take myself that seriously and I think you have to see the humour in everything. To me, everything is potentially funny."

Rossdale's sense of humour was shown in his own recent chat show, Dinner With Gavin Rossdale, in which he interviewed stars such as Serena Williams and Sir Tom Jones while cooking for them at his home. Rossdale and Sir Tom became friends when they were both judges on ITV's reality pop show, The Voice UK.

"I stayed friendly with Sir Tom after The Voice and I love him so much," enthuses Rossdale. "There's a father/son thing to our friendship and I respond to Sir Tom's incredible work ethic. He's 85 and I hope I might be chilling out by the time I get to that age."

Although Rossdale is just starting to picture his retirement, Bush's new album, I Beat Loneliness, is vital and energetic. It's the band's first since Rossdale met his new partner, singer Xhoana Xheneti, 34, a fellow musician whose stage name is Xhoana X.

He wrote the anthemic We're All On The Same Side about their relationship, revealing: "The line: 'I want to be on your good side' is about how I love it when I get on with my girlfriend. I find conflict very debilitating and, if I'm in a fight with her, it ruins everything - although my face doesn't let it show."

Rossdale turns 60 in October and jokes: "I wish 60 was just a number, but biology wins." Pondering getting old, he muses: "The secret to life is being curious about what you do. Life isn't about finding someone to grow old with, it's finding someone to grow young with.

"In staying curious, I'm a student of music and cooking. I'm fully aware I have much to improve on in both those areas, but their potential is infinite."

Although Rossdale has a youthful outlook, he knows better than to try to be cool with his sons, Kingston, 19, Zuma, 16 and 11-year-old Apollo.

The singer - who is also father to model Daisy Lowe, 36, by textiles designer Pearl Lowe - cautions: "If I overstep it, I can move into being Cringe Dad. That's where you try to be too busy with your kids and they become: 'Say less, fam [family].'

"Hopefully, my boys think I'm cool as I don't try too hard. If I don't over-insert myself in their lives, I'm not Cringe Dad, so I try to stay in my lane."

Wanting to be there for his children is the main reason he hasn't thought about returning to live in England.

It's also why he quit The Voice after just one series, in 2017, explaining: "The people on the programme were wonderful, but the show's commitment extended to nearly six months. Add that to Bush and I'd have had no time with my boys.

"They needed me more than I needed being on TV, but it's a pain in my heart that meant I couldn't continue doing the show."

Bush's new album is followed by an arena tour in November. Despite their stellar success, Rossdale insists the band remain hungry to prove themselves, explaining: "Usually, my life is a UFC fight of being on tour, staying in the mix in music. Being in music is being in a daily fistfight.

"When you've been around as long as Bush, it's understandable if you let the standard drop. I won't do that. Anyone who plays stadiums has an easy life. For the rest of us, you're only as good as your last record.

"It's the same for all of us in life: you get two or three days of fun, then someone will want to f*** with you. There's always something to dislodge your happiness."

Although Rossdale is jokey and has clearly aged well, he's aware he's getting on by rock star standards. He frets about his daily intake of magnesium, zinc and vitamin D supplements, laughing: "When I'm on tour, my bag rattles. I don't know if I need to take as much magnesium as I do, but if I do then apparently I'll feel fantastic."

At least, for someone who's lived in LA for so long, Rossdale isn't evangelical about therapy.

"Maybe I should do therapy," he smiles. "But for now? I've got songwriting instead."