The English singer has lived in Switzerland since 1994. Born in London in 1951, he performed as an actor-singer in a London production at the age of 13. In 1970, he was brought in as a replacement drummer for the rock group Genesis. Suddenly, the lead singer of the group decided to quit and 400 people auditioned and were tested for the new position, without success. The musicians decided to give Phil Collins a chance. His voice immediately won the public over. 1978 was a year of success with the album And Then There Were Three. At the age of 30, he recorded his first single, Face Value, which hit second on the British charts.
Phil Collins met with phenomenal success during the eighties with albums such as We Can't Dance and Dance into the Light. During a trip to the Paléo Festival in Nyon, Phil Collins fell in love with his interpreter, Orianne Cevey. He sent his wife a fax, asking for a divorce.
The couple initially lived in Hermance in the chic suburb of Geneva, before moving to Bugnins in the canton of Vaud, where they still live with their two children. The marriage much awaited by the tabloids took place on July 24, 1999 at the Beau-Rivage Palace of Ouchy in Lausanne, during a grand ceremony with over 320 select guests. Celebrities such as Eric Clapton, Elton John and Eric Knopfler were all present for the festivities that went on for three days and cost over 1.2 million Swiss francs.
