It is not always easy being the child of Rock N’ Roll royalty. Sure it is great to be born with that privilege, but the kind of glamorous lifestyle that musicians often lead would take time away from the home front. Just ask Lily Collins.
“I forgive you for not always being there when I needed and for not being the dad I expected,” she wrote in a letter that was published in her new book, Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me. “I forgive the mistakes you made. And although it may seem like it’s too late, it’s not. There’s still so much time to move forward.’
Lily Colins was born in Guilford, Surrey in England, to Phil Collins and his second wife Jill Taveman. She was only five years old, when Phil separated from her mother, allegedly telling her via Fax. He would then move to Switzerland, while Taveman who is American would take Lily with her to Los Angeles.
Since then her contact with her father would be sporadic, as she would only see him during school holidays!
Phil Collins has been married three times, and has five children including Lily. In 2016 he reunited with his third wife Orianne Cevey and they currently live together in Miami with their two sons. They famously divorced in 2008, an event which seemed to have a huge impact on Lily.
“I couldn’t handle the pain and confusion surrounding my dad’s divorce, and I was having a hard time balancing being a teenager with pursuing two different grown-up careers,” she wrote in her book.
She also alludes to her fight with bulimia and anorexia due to the stress of the entire situation. “Not only did I start viewing myself differently physically, but I began limiting my happiness by controlling my eating habits,” she wrote.
But in an Instagram post, she made it clear that her book was about “sharing my experiences to hopefully help others.” Saying that it “is not about the other people in my life, but instead, what I’ve learned about myself along the way. It’s not about vilifying anyone.”
Well she did forgive him, and it is in the past. Hopefully father and daughter can make up for lost time, after all, they seem to be in a good place these days.
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