Phil Collins’ Exes Spill The Tea About Him

Phil Collins enjoyed a remarkable music career spanning over four decades, both with Genesis and as a solo artist. He sold over 100 million records worldwide, not counting his work with Genesis. However, his success in music didn’t translate to his personal life. “I am disappointed that I have been married three times,” he confessed in his 2016 memoir Not Dead Yet: The Memoir. “I’m even more disappointed that I’ve been divorced three times.” His divorces from Andrea Bertorelli, Jill Tavelman, and Orianne Cevey resulted in settlements exceeding $53 million.

Collins acknowledged these divorces reflected his inability to “coexist happily or to understand” his partners, though he considered himself “a romantic who believes, hopes, that the union of marriage is something to cherish and last.” His former wives, however, had much to say about his failures as a husband and father, adding layers to the untold truth of Phil Collins’ life.

Andrea Bertorelli: Career Over Family

Collins first met Andrea Bertorelli at age 11 and they began dating three years later until she moved to Canada. They reunited and married in 1975 at age 24. That year, Collins became the frontman of Genesis after Peter Gabriel’s departure, leading to a demanding schedule that strained their marriage. “When we were first married, Phil was content being a family man,” Bertorelli told the Daily Express in 1994. “But his priorities shifted from family to career.” Collins left for a tour the day after their son Simon was born. They also had a daughter, Joely, whom Collins adopted.

Their marriage ended in 1980 after both engaged in extramarital affairs. The breakup inspired Collins’ hit “In the Air Tonight,” portraying him as the victim. Bertorelli contested this, claiming Collins had multiple affairs first. “He’s made a lot of money singing about the breakup of our marriage and his heartbreak, and he’s never stopped to consider my feelings or those of our children,” she told the Daily Mail in 2015.

Legal Battle Over Memoir

Bertorelli largely stayed out of the spotlight during and after her marriage to Collins, living on a remote Canadian island. However, Collins’ 2016 memoir prompted her to speak out. She claimed the book contained “attacks on my character and integrity,” including “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.” She sued Collins over his portrayal of her, though the outcome of the suit remains unclear.

Jill Tavelman: History Repeats

Collins met Jill Tavelman, a California school teacher, during a 1981 Genesis tour. They married three years later, but his career and alleged infidelity also plagued this marriage. “When we married I thought he would want to spend more time at home, but the reality isn’t like that … he’s a workaholic,” Tavelman told the Daily Express in 1994. Their communications, including those with their daughter Lily Collins, mostly involved faxes due to Collins’ need to “save his voice for the next show.” Rumors suggested he used a fax to break up with Tavelman, which he denied.

Orianne Cevey: A Complicated Third Marriage

Before his divorce from Tavelman was finalized, Collins was already seeing Orianne Cevey. They married in 1999 and had two children, Nicholas and Matthew. They divorced in 2008 but rekindled their relationship in 2016. Cevey called their initial separation “the wrong decision” and planned to remarry Collins, but this never happened. By 2020, Collins was trying to evict Cevey from their Miami home after she broke up with him via text and married Thomas Bates in Las Vegas. A legal battle over their $40 million Miami mansion followed. “It’s sad, we’re talking about 26 years of being together as husband and wife, friends, living together,” Cevey told Radar Online in 2021. “I spent more than half of my life with him. We shared so many moments together. We have great children together.” Collins, now 73, is currently unmarried.