Phil Collins says that if he could change one thing about his life, it would be the collapse of his three marriages, a consequence he attributes largely to years spent touring rather than at home.
The 75-year-old drummer and singer, best known for his work with Genesis and his own solo career, discussed the toll his career took on his family life during a recent appearance on “Piers Morgan Uncensored.”
“To some extent, I have to say I regret my marriages falling apart,” Collins said. “Sometimes I jumped. Well, one time I jumped, two times I was pushed. But I wouldn’t have written it like that. But on the other hand, I’ve got five fantastic kids that I wouldn’t have if that hadn’t happened. So I have to balance it.”
Collins was married to his first wife, Andrea Bertorelli, from 1975 to 1980. He adopted her daughter, Joely, and the couple had a son, Simon, together. He later married Jill Tavelman, with whom he shares daughter Lily, from 1984 to 1996, and then Orianne Cevey, with whom he has sons Nicholas and Mathew, from 1999 to 2006.
Looking back on the end of his first marriage, Collins said the demands of touring with Genesis left him absent for long stretches.
“Genesis did, in one year, I think, three American tours, two European tours, and a tour of Japan. And when I ended up getting separated from my first wife, the guys in the band said, ‘Well, why didn’t you tell us? We’d have stopped it.’ But that’s easy to say in retrospect,” he said. “I was gone, and we grew apart.”
Collins said he “always tried to be there for the kids” despite the marriages failing, and noted that none of it was part of any plan. “You don’t go into life thinking that,” he said.
His daughter Lily Collins, who stars in Netflix’s “Emily in Paris,” wrote candidly about their relationship in her 2017 memoir, “Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me.” An excerpt read during the interview included her writing: “I’m learning how to accept your actions and vocalize how they made me feel. I accept and honor the sadness and anger I felt toward the things you did or didn’t do, did or didn’t give me. I forgive you for not always being there when I needed it, for not being the dad I expected. I forgive the mistakes you made. And although it may seem like it’s too late, it’s not. There’s still so much time to move forward.”
The two have since reconciled. Lily shared photos marking her father’s 75th birthday in January, writing “Love you to the moon and back again…” and said in a birthday message that she felt “grateful” to celebrate the milestone with him, calling herself “lucky to have hugged you, laughed with you, and reminisced with you on such a monumental day.”
She also posted a Father’s Day tribute to him on Instagram, writing that she is “endlessly grateful for your unconditional love, guidance and support,” and adding, “Now as a parent, I have a newly found understanding and deeper appreciation for everything you’ve done and continue to do. Tove is lucky to call you Grandpa P.”
Lily welcomed her first child, Tove, with her husband, Charlie McDowell, via surrogate in January 2025.
