Phil Collins’ Health Update Ahead of 75th Birthday Reveals 24-Hour Care
What To Know
- Phil Collins revealed he now requires 24-hour care due to ongoing health issues, including complications from diabetes, multiple surgeries, and a spine injury.
- The former Genesis frontman discussed his struggles with mobility, kidney problems from past drinking.
- Collins reflected on his challenging recent years in an interview for BBC’s Eras podcast.
Phil Collins shared a health update ahead of his 75th birthday, revealing that he now has 24-hour care after multiple surgeries and medical issues.
During an interview with Zoe Ball for BBC’s Eras podcast, the former Genesis frontman opened up about how he’s doing after stepping back from music. Collins previously discussed his battle with type 2 diabetes and complications from a spine injury, but he got real about a slew of other health complications before turning 75 on January 30.
“You know, I have a 24-hour live-in nurse to make sure I take my medication as I should do,” the father of actress Lily Collins shared, per The Independent. “I’ve had challenges with my knee… I had everything that could go wrong with me, did go wrong with me.”
Additionally, Collins discussed undergoing five surgeries on his knee, explaining he has one “that works” now. “I can walk, albeit with assistance, you know, crutches or whatever,” he said.
The “You’ll Be in My Heart” singer also shared that “drinking too much” affected his kidneys.
“I enjoyed coming off tour,” he said. “Coming off the road… I thought, right, I’m gonna do all those things that I couldn’t do.”
Collins added, “I guess I had too much of it. I was never drunk, although I fell over a couple of times. But it is just one of those things that happened and it all caught up with me, and I spent months in hospital.”
However, the “In the Air Tonight” singer said he recently celebrated two years of sobriety.
“It’s just been a difficult, interesting, frustrating last few years,” he told Ball. “But it’s all right now.”
Collins’ most recent performance was with Genesis in March 2022 before he stepped back from music. In a 2021 interview with the BBC, he revealed he could “barely hold a [drum] stick with this hand.”
The first four episodes of BBC Eras: Phil Collins are now available on BBC Sounds. Episode 5 will be released on January 26 on BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer. It will also air on BBC Radio 2 on February 1.