Lily Collins burst into tears fearing she would never see father Phil Collins alive again, he reveals

From the Newshound archive · first published 2 October 2026 · last updated 3 October 2026.

Phil Collins has revealed that his daughter Lily Collins wept at a Christmas reunion after fearing that his near-fatal battle with alcoholism would leave her newborn daughter without a grandfather. The 75-year-old was in intensive care for seven months in 2024 after alcohol-related pancreatitis put him on dialysis, with all five of his children summoned to Switzerland while doctors weighed whether to withdraw life support.

Lily had written a 2017 memoir letter telling her father 'I forgive you for not always being there' — Collins now says she 'wishes she hadn't written it because she thought it was hurtful.'

Collins admitted he 'treated her mum badly' but says the pair have fully reconciled, spending four days together at London's Mandarin Oriental last Christmas.

Lily's daughter Tove — born via surrogacy last year — had been at the heart of her fears; she told Collins she 'never thought my child would get to know her grandfather.'