Inside Phil Collins' Tumultuous Personal Life: His Wives and Kids

Inside Phil Collins' three failed marriages: The English singer is a father to five kids!  

A few in the music industry have had a career as illustrious as Phil Collins's. During his decades-long tenure in the English rock band, Genesis, as the drummer, and lead singer, Collins catapulted to the highest level of stardom known to humankind. Among a myriad of best-selling artists of similar repertoire, Collins stands out as one of the world's best-selling, having sold over 150 million worldwide.  

Born Philip David Charles Collins on January 30, 1951, in Wandsworth, London, his journey in the industry started with acting, which eventually led him to discover his unparalleled flair in music. Phil's debut album as a solo artist, Face Value, in 1981, was what hard launched the then-aspiring singer into the mainstream realm.  

Inside Phil Collins' Tumultuous Personal Life!  

At 72, Collins is a doting father to five, and a three-times divorced man. The Strangers Like Me hitmaker delved into marriage pretty early and was married most of his life. Collins' first ex-wife is Canadian-born actress Andrea Bertorelli, whom he crossed paths with while dabbling in acting as a kid.   

The two reconnected years later at a marriable age. Collins' early marriage and that too an unraveling one from the start, dominated the singer's public image. And to add to the constant scrutiny, Phil's breakthrough album, Face Value, was inspired by his crumbling marriage with Bertoreli. "People used to say to me, 'Don't you feel embarrassed showing your dirty laundry?'" said Phil, who credits his first divorce for shaping his solo career.   

Phil and Bertorelli were married from 1975 to 1980, during which the couple welcomed one kid and adopted a daughter. Some sources alleged that Collins' first marriage ended after an affair. The former spouses seemingly ended things on a bitter note for Bertorelli sued the Genesis singer in 2016.   

Phil's first ex-wife claimed that the statements he made in his autobiography, Not Dead Yet, about their marriage caused her immense distress. "I have variously been portrayed as a homewrecker, a gold-digger, and a bad mother," Andrea said. Following his divorce from Bertorelli, the In the Air Tonight hitmaker married his second wife, socialite Jill Tavelman, in 1984.  

Collins's second conjugal life was no less bumpy. The pair were married from 1984 to 1996 and the union started collapsing, or the media got the whiff of their strained marriage, in the early 90s. Phil was touring extensively with his band when the singer reportedly started an illicit affair with Lavinia Lang, his ex-fiancee.   

Phil allegedly cheated on his second wife, Jill Tavelman, with an ex-fiancee! 

Collins and Tavelman's beat-up marital life reached an all-high infamy when the news broke that the Genesis star allegedly asked Jill for divorce via fax. "I was following my heart," the English crooner said years later as he addressed his affair with Lang. Collins and Tavelman's divorce was finalized in 1996, with Phil reportedly paying Jill a whopping £17 million in settlement.  

The One More Night hitmaker gave marriage another shot in 1999 when he walked down the aisle with Orianne Cevey, with whom he welcomed two sons. The pair's union lasted seven years and their divorce, which was settled in 2006, went down in history as one of the most expensive celebrity divorces as Collins paid Cevey a hefty £25 million in settlement.   

The Genesis singer and Cevey hit a rough patch in 2020 when Cevey and her new husband, Thomas Bates, a young male escort, settled into Collins's $40 million Miami mansion without the singer's knowledge. The English singer filed an eviction notice against Cevey in late 2020 and successfully sold the property a year later. 

The Son of Man crooner has expressed regret for how things turned out in his personal life. In his autobiography, Collins described it as a big failure. "I am disappointed I've been married three times," the singer wrote, adding, "I'm even more disappointed that I've been divorced three times."  

Phil Collins as a Father of Five!  

Collins's marital life didn't quite turn out as he had anticipated but it gave the singer his greatest prize possessions. The three-time divorced singer is a father to five kids, who he shares with his three ex-wives. Some of Collins' kids have grown up to be pretty famous themselves and it wouldn't be a surprise if today's generations recognize his kids better.   

The In the Air Tonight singer's oldest kid, Joely, 51, who he shares with Bertorelli, is his only adopted child. An actress and producer, Joely has worked on a host of projects over the years. Some of her notable credits are Madison, Brahms: The Boy II, and Becoming Redwood. She has been married to Stefan Buitelaar since 2008 and is a mother to one.  

Collins's second kid, Simon, 47, born to him and Bertorelli in 1976, has followed in his famous father's footsteps. Simon is a drummer and the former lead vocalist of the band Sound of Contact. The father-son pair have shared the stage on many occasions and even collaborated on Simos's album U-Catastrophe.   

The Genesis star's third-born, Lily Collins, 33, is undoubtedly the best-known of his brood. Lily was born to Phil and his second wife, Jill, in 1989. The Emily in Paris actress was three when her parents separated. "I'm proud of my dad, but I wanted to be me, not just his daughter," said the actress who shares an affectionate bond with her father. Lily has been married to director Charlie McDowell since 2021.  

Collins's two youngest kids, Nicholas, 21, and Matthew, 17, were born to him and Cevey. Given their tender age and limited experience, the siblings are still figuring out their journey in the industry. The older of the two, Nic, however, seems to be actively carving a similar career to his father's. Nicholas was two when he reportedly started drumming. Fast forward to 2023, and the young lad has a band of his own, Better Strangers.  

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