Although Lily Collins is all grown up and a celebrity in her own right, she will always be Phil Collins and Jill Tavelman’s “little girl.”
The Emily in Paris the star is the daughter of drummer Genesis Phil and American business owner Jill. She grew up between London and Los Angeles and moved to the west coast with her mom after her parents split up when she was 5 years old. Lily is their only child from their 10-year union, but she has four siblings on her dad’s side – and they’re all “super close”, she said Guard in 2012.
While Lily’s relationship with her parents – particularly her famous father – has made headlines in the past, the Golden Globe nominee doesn’t pay much attention to the rumours. “I know the truth and I know how it was for me, and I know how much I love my family — and that’s all that really matters,” she said.
From welcoming his daughter to where they stand with Rules do not apply star now, here’s everything you need to know about Lily Collins’ parents, Phil Collins and Jill Tavelman.
Phil is a Grammy-winning musician
Phil Collins and his daughter Lily Collins at the after party for ‘Mirror Mirror’ in 2012.
Todd Williamson/Getty
Born on January 30, 1951 in London, Phil rose to fame as the frontman and drummer of Genesis after joining the rock band at the age of 19. The group released 15 studio albums during their decades-long career, with several of those records topping the charts in the UK. At the same time, he continued a successful solo career with his first album, Nominal value, debuting to instant success in 1981.
The musician is perhaps best known for hits like “In the Air Tonight” and “You’ll Be in My Heart,” the latter of which he wrote for Disney Tarzan (1999) and won an Oscar for. During his illustrious career, Phil received 27 Grammy nominations and won eight awards.
Jill owns an antique store in LA
Lily Collins and her mom Jill Tavelman attend the premiere of ‘The Last Tycoon’ on Amazon Prime Video.
Todd Williamson/Getty
Lily’s mom Jill was born in LA in 1956. Although she worked as a teacher before marrying Phil, she later changed careers and opened an eclectic antique store called Waverly on Doheny in 2014. The Hollywood Reporter about opening a store in LA, she explained, “I just didn’t understand the concept of throwing things away. I’ve always hit people with gifts that are really sentimental or that resonate with them.”
As Lily’s career took off, Jill had “a lot of free time, because my daughter grew up and went her own way.” She was mostly involved in charity work for two decades before deciding to start her own business.
“I thought, ‘It’s time for me to do something for myself that I’m good at,'” she noted. Jill frequently posts updates and new inventory on the store’s dedicated Instagram.
Her parents met at a Genesis concert
Phil Collins arrives at the Dominion Theater in London for the Brit Awards, with Jill Tavelman in 1990.
Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty
The Genesis frontman met Jill at the Rainbow Bar in Hollywood, California in 1980. After sparks flew between them, the couple dated for four years before tying the knot in 1984.
Five years later, they welcomed their first and only child together, daughter Lily Jane Collins, on March 18, 1989. The couple lived together in England during her early childhood.
Phil and Jill separated in 1994
Phil Collins and Jill Tavelman with daughter Lily Collins at the screening of the film ‘Dennis the Menace’.
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty
After 10 years of marriage, the couple announced their separation in 1994, when Lily was 5 years old. Their split was allegedly triggered by an affair the drummer had with his ex-fiancée Lavinia Lang in 1992.
Rumors soon spread that Phil had ended their marriage via fax – a detail he has repeatedly denied. He also issued a statement that read in part: “I am no longer in love with my partner.” The couple divorced in 1996.
In his memoirs from 2016 He’s not dead yet, Phil said he was “disappointed” in his three divorces because he didn’t have a “casual attitude” towards marriage. Besides Jill, he also married Andrea Bertorelli (1975-1980) and Orianne Cevey (1999-2008), with whom he later reconciled.
“I am a romantic who believes, hopes, that marriage is something that should be cherished and last”, he wrote, according to Daily mail. “And yet, that trio of divorces certainly shows a failure to live happily and understand their partners.”
Lily had a strained relationship with her father growing up
Phil Collins holds his daughter Lily Collins as a child.
Dave Hogan/Hulton Archive/Getty
After her parents’ divorce, Lily moved from London to LA with her mother, which led to further estrangement from her father. In her 2017 memoir, she talked about their dynamic that developed over time, Unfiltered: no shame, no regrets, just me.
“Since my dad was away a lot, I never wanted to do anything that would make him stay away any longer,” she wrote. “I became very careful about what I said and how I said it, fearing that he would think I was angry or that I didn’t love him. And it’s true that I was angry. I missed him and wanted him to be there.”
She candidly expressed that the problems in their relationship were the root cause of her “deepest insecurities” and that she had spent the past decade working on them and gathering “the courage to tell him what I think.”
In an open letter to Phil, which she created as a kind of template to help others start similar conversations with their fathers, Lily wrote: “I forgive you for not always being there when I needed you and for not being the dad I expected. I forgive the mistakes you made.”
The Tolkien the star ended the letter with an olive branch, giving hope that they could find common ground. “There is still so much time to move forward. And I want to. I invite you to join me,” she added. “I’ll always be your little girl.”
Lily and Phil have adjusted to each other’s fame
Phil Collins with his daughters Lily Collins and Joely Collins attend his 1999 Walk of Fame star ceremony.
Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection/Getty
Growing up, it didn’t take long for Lily to realize that something was different about her dad. She said Radio Times 2020 that she first started realizing he was famous when she was a child and spotted a fan wearing a t-shirt with Phil’s face on it during a trip to Disneyland.
“Then he saw my dad and asked for a photo – and it was a really weird moment,” she said Metro. “I was thinking, ‘Why does he want my dad’s picture and why is my dad on his shirt?’ Slowly but surely, I began to understand.”
In 2016, she opened up about adjusting to her father’s public persona on Harry Connick Jr.’s talk show. “It’s weird to have your dad or parent on stage with millions of people saying their name and you’re like, ‘No, it’s just dad,'” she said, adding that it got easier over time. “But I started to get used to it [it:] that person was Phil, and when we were home it was Dad.”
When she stopped by HarryLily has already had several Hollywood roles under her belt, and the results are starting to turn around in terms of recognition – a sign of the years to come before she becomes a household name, thanks to her work in Emily in Paris.
“It’s kind of funny, [my dad] he told me he was blown away by the fact that there was a radio station playing his music and afterwards they said, ‘For those of you who don’t know who that is, that’s Lily Collins’ dad,’ she said. “And he said: ‘What kind of world do we live in? This is great. It’s like you’ve climbed up there.’ ”
In general, the couple doesn’t often discuss their experiences navigating celebrity, Lily revealed on Today show in 2022. “He says … he’s proud, but we don’t really talk about that side of things,” she said, explaining that they prefer to “keep it separate.”
Lily struggled to gain her own fame away from her parents
Lily Collins with her father Phil Collins at the premiere of ‘The Blind Side’ in 2009.
Stephen Lovekin/Getty
While Mirror Mirror star did not explicitly join the discourse surrounding the term “nepo babies” — which refers to the children of the world’s top champions who are assumed to have benefited from their parents’ fame — she opened up Vogue France 2022 about creating your own path.
“It was out of the question that people would think I was using a free pass because of my name,” she said. “I’m proud of my dad, but I wanted to be me, not just his daughter. For that, I was willing to wait to break through.”
Her desire to get her credit is part of what drove her to act. Although she is also musically inclined, she did not want to deal with potential comparisons with her father. “I like to sing. But as I wanted to make my own way, away from my father’s genius, I preferred to be an actress,” explained Lily.
Lily remains close to both parents
Lily Collins takes a selfie with her mom Jill Tavelman outdoors.
Instagram Lily Collins
These days, Lily is on good terms with Phil and Jill, proudly posting tributes to them on social media to mark special occasions like birthdays and other big moments, including Phil’s final appearance on the Genesis 2022 reunion tour.
“Witnessing this final performance was truly the memory of a lifetime and an event I will hold in my heart forever,” Lily wrote on Instagram, calling her father “such an inspiration.”
Earlier that year, she celebrated his 71st birthday with a heartfelt message on social media, writing in part: “We may not be able to spend time together as often, but when we’re face to face, you really see me. Maybe don’t always believe it , but please believe me when I say, no matter how old I get or what life throws at me, I will always need you.”
Although she doesn’t often see her dad, who lives in Switzerland, Lily and her mom often spend time together, since Jill lives in LA, Lily paid tribute to her mom for her birthday in April 2021, writing on Instagram: “Regardless no matter how much time passes, where we are in the world or how many changes are coming before us, you will always have such a special place in my heart and in my life.”
She then thanked her “amazing mom” for “everything you taught me and all the strength you gave me.”
Jill shared a series of selfies with Lily enjoying some quality bonding time on Mother’s Day 2023. “This is what my love looks like!!!” Jill captioned the shots. She noted that the duo spent the day at the Academy Museum and went to Littlejohn’s Candies, a candy store she frequented growing up with her own mother.
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Source: HIS Education