Ex-wife Orianne Bates alleged that the iconic musician Phil Collins used alcohol and abused medications excessively and has gone a whole year without showering. Collins, known for his secrecy, is reportedly now compelled to confront these allegations.
The 70-year-old internationally renowned superstar, will be deposed on camera in December once his band Genesis comeback tour, "The Last Domino," is completed.
A portion of Collins' testimony will be used in a lawsuit filed by his ex-wife, who alleges he orally promised her half of their Miami Beach property while they were married.
Collins reportedly tried to stop his ex-wife from suing him for half of the residence formerly owned by Jennifer Lopez. This was not successful. The Miami judge Carlos Guzman ruled earlier this month that Bates' attorney, Richard Wolfe, could very well apply for a subpoena to question the musician under oath.
Bates revealed that when Collins started drinking regularly and took drugs in 2017, the Oscar, Emmy, and Grammy winner would reportedly "fall down from the mix of prescription medicines and excessive alcohol."
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She said Collins has "collapsed on stage when performing because he was so impaired he could not stand up" and that "on multiple occasions, he hit his head when he fell, and checked into hospitals under an alias."
She added that this was about the time Collins was also diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
After a tumble in a hotel room while going to the restroom, he was forced to cancel his comeback tour. He fell and cut his eyelid open, necessitating the administration of sutures.
When that happened, his reps said that he suffered from "'drop foot' as a result of a back operation which makes it difficult to walk."
By 2019, Bates said Collins "became increasingly depressed, withdrawn [and] abusive." The operation, she said, had made him "increasingly addicted to antidepressants and painkillers."
She said he couldn't have sex because of his incapacity. In other words, he stopped taking care of himself by washing and brushing his teeth.
Collins' legal team called his ex-claims wife's "scandalous, scurrilous, unethical and, for the most part, manifestly untrue or substantially inflated," and dismissed them as "completely inconsequential" to the house dispute.
However, a person familiar with the case told the newspaper that "questions concerning Phil's attitude, mental condition, personal behavior and conduct" may assist a jury in seeing that Phil's mind was damaged by suspected drug and alcohol usage.
"Certainly while matters about his hygiene and intimate interactions with her may seem frivolous, this potentially paints a picture of the unusual nature of their relationship," said the insider.
The source also predicted that "it's going to be uncomfortable for Phil because he is notoriously shy and private."
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