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Lily Collins is a successful model and Golden Globe-nominated actress who has appeared in magazines, films, and TV shows, including the recent Netflix series, Emily in Paris. She’s also pop star Phil Collins’ daughter, and like many famous father-daughter duos, the pair have their fair share of difficulties. Here, we take a look at the issues that have plagued this celebrity pair and find out how they are getting along today.
Lily Collins Is Phil Collins’ Daughter
Lily Collins was born on March 18th, 1989, in Guildford, Surrey, England. She’s the daughter of Phil Collins and his second wife, Jill Tavelman, who were married from 1984 until 1996. She has two older half-siblings—musician Simon Collins and actress Joely Collins, who were products of Phil Collins’ first marriage to Andrea Bertorelli. After her parents divorced in 1996, Lily Collins moved with her mother to Los Angeles. She attended the University of Southern California, where she majored in broadcast journalism, and eventually began modeling and acting in the mid-2000s.
Despite having a famous father, Collins says she received no special treatment when she first embarked on her own career in entertainment. When she was 18, she met with a Hollywood agent who told her: “What makes you so special? There are tons of daughters and sons and cousins and nieces and nephews of famous people. Do something. Come back, and we’ll talk,” Collins told The Sun. “There’s this common perception that having a famous last name is all you need. A surname may get you a meeting but, if there’s no talent, you won’t get the part.”
Today, the 31-year-old star has many impressive credits under belt. In addition to her starring role in the Emily in Paris, Collins has appeared in movies such as Tolkien, Rules Don’t Apply, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, and Inheritance. She’s also happily engaged to writer/director Charlie McDowell, who has his own set of celebrity parents—Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen, who were married from 1980 until 1990.
One of the sweetest stories Collins has shared about her pop star dad is the fact that one of his most well-known songs was originally written as a lullaby to his daughter. “[It was] ‘You’ll Be in My Heart,’ from Tarzan,” she revealed to Harry Connick Jr. in 2016, as reported by People. “We grew up watching Disney shows and movies together, so that was his way of kind of being able to do it for his kids. It was so special.”
How Lily First Realized Her Dad Was Famous
Collins has said that while growing up the daughter of a pop legend has had its surreal moments, she wasn’t always aware of just how famous her dad was. But she does remember the first time she realized her father wasn’t like other dads—when the pair were visiting Disneyland. “I was being carried on my dad’s shoulders when this man started to walk towards us,” Collins told Radio Times, as reported by the Daily Mail. “He had my dad’s face on his T-shirt and I didn’t quite get it. Then he saw my dad and asked for a photo — and it was a really weird moment. I was thinking, ‘Why does he want a picture of my dad, and why is my dad on his T-shirt?’ Slowly but surely, I started to understand.”
Phil And Lily Haven’t Always Had The Best Relationship
After her parents divorced in 1996, Collins says she didn’t see her father all that much. In her 2017 book Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me—a collection of autobiographical essays—Lily Collins opened up about her difficulties with her famous father. She shared that she once struggled with an eating disorder and admitted that “many of my deepest insecurities stem from these issues with my dad.”
Collins also penned an emotional open letter to her father in the book, in which she forgave him for not always being present in her life when she was growing up.
“I forgive you for not always being there when I needed and for not being the dad I expected,” Collins wrote. “I forgive the mistakes you made. There’s still so much time to move forward. And I want to. I’m inviting you to join me. I love you with all of my heart, more than you’ll ever know, and am so thankful for you. I’ll always be your little girl.”
The Love, Rosie star continued: “We all make choices and, although I don’t excuse some of yours, at the end of the day we can’t rewrite the past. I’m learning how to accept your actions and vocalize how they made me feel. I accept and honor the sadness and anger I felt toward the things you did or didn’t do, did or didn’t give me. I’ve learned a lot and my eyes and heart are wide open. I now understand that my frustrations surrounding our communication are not about changing you but accepting you as you are.”
Phil And Lily Collins’ Relationship Today
Happily, it appears as though Phil and Lily Collins have reconciled and are much closer today. Last year, as part of a birthday tribute to her dad Instagram, she wrote:
For the past 30 years I’ve watched you go through ups and downs and navigate highs and lows. We’ve traveled the world exploring and shared amazing memories at home. We’ve laughed, cried, and sat in peaceful silence together. I’m eternally grateful for the lessons you’ve taught me and the moments we’ve shared. There’s so many more exciting ones to come. No matter where we are or what we’re going through, my love for you deepens and my understanding of you grows. I love you to the moon and back again.
We’re so happy to know that this talented father-daughter pair have mended their once rocky relationship!