Phil Collins Reflects on Divorce, Fatherhood and Regret

Phil Collins is speaking candidly about one of the deepest regrets of his life: the breakdown of his marriages and the strain his career placed on his family. In a recent appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, the 75-year-old musician said he looks back on those years with mixed emotions, balancing disappointment over what went wrong with gratitude for the children he has.

"To some extent, I have to say I regret my marriages falling apart," Collins said. He added that while he would not have chosen that path, he also recognizes that those relationships gave him his five children, something he clearly treasures. His remarks offered a frank look at the personal cost of a career that made him one of the most recognizable figures in music.

Collins was married to Andrea Bertorelli from 1975 to 1980. During that marriage, he adopted Bertorelli's daughter, Joely, and the couple also had a son, Simon. He later married Jill Tavelman, and they were together from 1984 to 1996. They share daughter Lily. His third marriage was to Orianne Cevey, from 1999 to 2006, and they have two sons, Nicholas and Mathew.

The toll of constant touring

Looking back on his first marriage, Collins said the relationship unraveled in part because he was so often away with Genesis. He recalled an intense period of touring that included multiple American tours, two European tours and a run in Japan in a single year. By the time the marriage was failing, he said the distance had already done its damage.

Collins remembered that after his separation, his bandmates told him they would have stopped the pace if they had known how serious things had become. Even so, he suggested that such hindsight does not change what happened. In his words, he was gone so much that he and his first wife simply grew apart.

Although he acknowledged that his marriages did not last, Collins said he always tried to be present for his children. He also noted that no one enters life expecting to be married three times, underscoring that these outcomes were not part of any plan.

A repaired bond with Lily Collins

The interview also revisited the emotional history between Collins and his daughter Lily Collins. In her 2017 memoir, Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me, she wrote openly about accepting the pain she felt over his actions and absences while also choosing forgiveness. In an excerpt read during the interview, she told him she forgave him for not always being there and for not being the father she had expected, while insisting it was not too late for them to move forward.

That healing appears to have taken root. In January, Lily shared photos from her father's 75th birthday celebration and wrote, "Love you to the moon and back again…" In another birthday message, she said she felt grateful to celebrate such a milestone with him and described herself as lucky to have hugged him, laughed with him and reminisced with him on the day.

She later marked Father's Day with another tribute, saying she was endlessly grateful for his unconditional love, guidance and support. Lily also wrote that becoming a parent herself had given her a deeper appreciation for what he has done and continues to do. She added that her daughter, Tove, is lucky to call him Grandpa P. Lily welcomed Tove with her husband, Charlie McDowell, via surrogate in January 2025.

Taken together, Collins' comments paint a portrait of a man who is willing to confront painful truths about his past. His reflections do not erase the regret, but they show an effort to hold both loss and gratitude at the same time.