Phil Collins says he regrets the collapse of all three of his marriages, telling interviewer Piers Morgan that years of touring with Genesis left him unable to sustain relationships at home.
“To some extent, I have to say I regret my marriages falling apart,” the 75-year-old musician said during an appearance on “Piers Morgan Uncensored.” “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 Andrea Bertorelli from 1975 to 1980; he adopted her daughter, Joely, and the couple had a son, Simon. He later married Jill Tavelman, with whom he had daughter Lily, from 1984 to 1996. His third marriage, to Orianne Cevey, lasted from 1999 to 2006 and produced two sons, Nicholas and Mathew.
Collins traced the breakdown of his first marriage to his relentless touring schedule with Genesis. “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.”
He said he “always tried to be there for the kids” despite the marriages failing, adding that no one sets out expecting three divorces. “You don’t go into life thinking that,” he said.
His daughter Lily Collins, known for starring in Netflix’s “Emily in Paris,” wrote candidly about their relationship in her 2017 memoir, “Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me.”
“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. In January, Lily shared photos marking her father’s 75th birthday, 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 on Instagram, writing she is “endlessly grateful for your unconditional love, guidance and support,” and added, “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.
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