Phil Collins is best known as the drummer and singer for the rock band Genesis. The now 73-year-old was born on January 30, 1951, in London. At the age of 6, he was given a drum set for Christmas, as per Drumeo.
Discover our latest podcast
The Genesis star first learned to play the drums by ear, but by the time he was a teenager, he studied reading and rudiments with teacher Lloyd Ryan and then later Frank King. Before joining the world-famous band, Genesis, Phil was in the British rock band Flaming Youth, from 1969 to 1970. The band released a concept album entitled Ark 2 with Fontana Records.
In 1970, Collins, who is has now retired after becoming ill, replied to an advertisement in Melody Maker, a British music magazine, which allowed him the opportunity to audition for Genesis. Thanks to his skills with Genesis, Phil Collins became known as one of the best drummers and eventually went on to have a solo career.
He is the voice behind several Disney soundtracks, such as Tarzan and Brother Bear. Now that we are all caught up on his career, let’s have a look at the drummer’s relationships, which haven’t been as successful.
His relationship with ex-wife Cevey
Cevey, a Swiss jewellery designer, and Collins married in 1999, they welcomed two sons, Nicholas, born on April 21, 2001, who is a musician and drummer, and Matthew, born December 1, 2004, who is reportedly a keen footballer. However, the couple divorced in 2008.
As per The Sun, the divorce settlement was the highest in UK showbiz history, costing the musician a whopping £25 million. Despite their divorce, the couple reconnected in 2016 but separated a second time in 2019.
A messy divorce
It was reported that the separation was not pleasant. Cevey had reportedly moved her new husband, Tom Bates, a male escort, into Collins’ $40 million Miami Beach oceanfront mansion and refused to leave. The Genesis drummer was ‘blindsided’ by the whole affair.
According to Daily Mail, Phil Collins’ had been on tour in Europe when Orianne secretly married Bates in a Las Vegas wedding. The tabloid also revealed that the Swiss jeweller had hired security to keep Collins’ out of his own home.
As reported by Mirror, the Genesis star had asked his ex-wife to leave his Miami home in 2020, but she refused and demanded a renegotiation of their divorce settlement, allegedly 'filing a counterclaim seeking approximately $20million (£14.7million)’.
Eventually, Collins was able to remove her and her new husband from his home, and they moved to a six-bedroom Fort Lauderdale mansion, where they eventually divorced.
Cevey auctions off his possessions
Last year, in November 2023, it was reported that Phil Collins’ third ex-wife, Orianne Cevey was auctioning off his items, including his personal Yamaha baby grand piano and the Wurlitzer jukebox, which was given to both of them as a wedding gift from Collins’ manager, as reported by Daily Mail.
It is believed that the drummer’s piano could sell anywhere between $50,000 and $100,000. The piano allegedly holds treasured memories for Phil as he taught his son, Nicholas, how to play.
Cevey's most recent divorce to Bates is allegedly the reason she ran the auction. Cevey is also believed to have auctioned several of her high-end couture items from her vast collection of Chanel products. As per Daily Mail, she was selling a collection of jewellery, handbags, and other valuables thought to be worth close to $4 million.
As mentioned before, Orianne Cevey is Phil Collins’ third ex-wife, meaning he has been married twice before. These two marriages had one element in common, both allegedly ended due to affairs.
Phil Collins’ first marriage to Andrea Bertorelli
As reported by The Sun, Phil Collins was first married to Andrea Bertorelli, a former Canadian actress. Bertorelli’s acting was mainly theatre and she tended to keep out of the limelight, therefore not much is known about her personal life.
Nonetheless, we know that Phil and Andrea first met at the age of 11 in drama class. They later reconnected and married at the age of 24, in 1975.
Together, they had two children, Joely, whom Phil adopted, who went on to become an actress in Canada, she has starred in Da Vinci's Inquest, Cold Squad and The Collector. The couple also had a son, Simon, who became a drummer like his father. As per The Sun, Simon was the lead singer for a rock band called Sound of Contact until 2018 and has since released four studio albums as a solo artist.
Bertorelli and Collins divorced in 1980 allegedly due to an affair. It was never publicised who had the affair, however, Bertorelli criticised the drummer’s autobiography, Not Dead Yet, which was published in 2016.
I have variously been portrayed as a homewrecker, a gold-digger and a bad mother.
The book contains a number of wholly false statements about myself and my marriage to Phil which have not only seriously damaged my reputation, but have also caused me considerable distress.
Phil Collins’ second marriage to Jill Tavelman
Phil Collins’ second marriage was to Jill Tavelman, an American actress, architect and businesswoman. The couple tied the knot in 1984. However, the marriage failed due to Collins reportedly having an affair with Lavinia Lang, his ex-fiancee, in 1992, while he was on a world tour with Genesis, as per The Sun.
The divorce was finalised in 1994 and confirmed two years later. The divorce led Phil Collins to paying Jill Tavelman £17 million.
Phil and Jill welcomed a daughter during their relationship—Lily Collins who was born on March 18, 1989. She went on to become a successful actress, starring in Emily in Paris, as well as The Blind Side, Tolkien and Love, Rosie.
As reported by The Sun, Lily Collins has previously talked about her upbringing and how difficult it was dealing with her father’s divorces.
She said:
My life felt out of control.
I couldn't handle the pain and confusion surrounding my dad’s divorce [from Orianne] and I was having a hard time balancing being a teenager with pursuing two grown-up careers [modelling and acting] - which focused heavily on how I looked.
Read more:
Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, George Clooney: These 25 celebrities married normal people
Eamonn Holmes: The GB News Presenter allegedly already moving on from Ruth Langsford
Sources used:
Drumeo: ‘Phil Collins: Everything You Need To Know’
Daily Mail: ‘Phil Collins ex-wife Orianne Cevey is auctioning $4M of precious items including singer's personal Yamaha piano after splitting from escort third husband 'whose genitals she threatened to sever'
Mirror: ‘Phil Collins fans rush to support him as ex-wife Orianne sends birthday message after £25M divorce’
The Sun: ‘THE EX FILES Is Phil Collins married now and who are his ex-wives?’
The Sun: ‘AND-OTHER DAY IN PARADISE Who is Phil Collins’ ex-wife Andrea Bertorelli?’
The Sun: ‘PHIL & JILL Who is Phil Collins’ ex-wife Jill Tavelman?’
