Watch: Lily Collins Shares Rare Pics With Dad Phil Collins Amid His Health Journey
Phil Collins can feel it coming in the air tonight.
The Genesis musician, who has faced health struggles in recent years, made a rare public appearance, stepping out with ex-wife Jill Collinsfor the King’s Trust 50th Anniversary Party at Buckingham Palace on May 14 alongside King Charles and QueenCamilla.
“Yesterday was a truly memorable afternoon spent at Buckingham Palace to celebrate The King’s Trust 50th Anniversary Party!!!” Jill posted to Instagram May 15. “Despite the downpours of torrential rain which did not seem to dampen the festivities @officialphilcollins and I were very proud and honored to be there and have a few private moments with King Charles who seemed genuinely pleased to see Phil who was the very first ambassador 40 years ago and a trustee even before that!”
Jill—who shares daughter Lily Collins, 37, with Phil—also posted a photo of the two posing with RodStewart and his wife PennyLancaster.
Phil using crutches at the event isn’t uncommon, however. The Grammy winner—who retired from music in 2022—previously shared thathe often relies on crutches after undergoing several knee surgeries.
“I had five operations on my knee now,” Phil explained on the BBC’s Eras podcast in January. “I’ve got a knee that works and I can walk, albeit with assistance [from] crutches.”
And aside from his knee injuries, he also noted that he suffered from kidney damage due to his past alcohol addiction.
“I’d probably been drinking too much, so my kidneys were messed up,” he said. “I wasn’t one of those guys that sort of stayed up all night drinking. I’d drink during the day, but I guess I had too much of it.”
“I was never drunk,” Phil clarified, “although I fell over a couple of times. It is just one of those things that happened. It all caught up with me and I spent months in hospital.”
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Phil—who is also dad to kids JoelyCollins, 53, and Simon Collins, 49, with ex-wife AndreaBertorelli and sons Nic Collins, 25, and Matthew Collins, 20, with ex Orianne Cevey—has also had to contend with nerve damage in his hands, which began after a spinal injury during Genesis’ farewell tour in 2007.
Following the painful diagnosis, the “You’ll Be in My Heart” singer made the difficult decision to retire from drumming.
“If I can’t do what I did as well as I did it, I’d rather relax and not do anything,” he said in his 2024 documentary Phil Collins: Drummer First. “If I wake up one day and I can hold a pair of drumsticks, then I’ll have a crack at it. But I just feel like I’ve used up my air miles.”
For a look at more stars who have dealt with their own difficult health journeys, keep reading.
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