Inside Lily Collins' Complicated Relationship With Her Famous Father

Being the child of a famous celebrity isn't always the easiest thing in the world. Not only does the child themselves effectively become a public figure by association, but if the parent's career is one that requires them to be away from home, it can start to put serious strain on that relationship. One person who knows this all too well is Lily Collins, daughter of legendary musician Phil Collins. 

Her Oscar and Grammy-winning father's fame was something Lily (who has since become a famous actress in her own right) struggled to come to terms with when she was still only a child. Not helping matters was Phil's divorce from Lily's mother, Jill Tavelman, which resulted in the future "Emily in Paris" star living on an entirely separate continent from her dad. As Lily recalled in her 2017 memoir "Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me," this led to her walking on eggshells on the rare occasion they actually saw each other. "Because my dad was often gone, I never wanted to do anything that would make him stay away even longer," she wrote (via Us Weekly), adding, "I became extra careful about what I said and how I said it, afraid he'd think I was angry or didn't love him. And the truth is, I was angry. I missed him and wanted him there."

In her memoir, Lily Collins publicly forgave her father. "I forgive you for not always being there when I needed and for not being the dad I expected. I forgive the mistakes you made," she wrote (via ABC News), adding, "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."

To that end, while Phil's well-documented health issues have sadly all but forced him to end his musical career, one silver lining is that retirement has given him the opportunity to make up for lost time with his daughter. "He and Lily had their ups and downs over the years, everyone knows that, but she's been firmly back in his life for a long time now and the bond between them is very strong," an anonymous source told RadarOnline in February 2026. "She checks in on him constantly and goes to visit him whenever she can," they continued. 

Not only that, but over the course of Lily's stunning transformation, she's become a parent herself, welcoming a daughter in early 2025 with her husband (and fellow nepo baby) Charlie McDowell, son of legendary actors Malcolm McDowell and Mary Steenburgen, via surrogacy. In February 2026, she shared a video to Instagram of her daughter "beginning her musical education" by listening to a song by Phil's band, Genesis.