Phil Collins shares rare health update: 'I was inactive for a long time'

26 May 2026, 12:37

By Giorgina Hamilton

The singer says recent months have been “much better” after a difficult period.

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Phil Collins has shared a hopeful update on his health after several years marked by serious medical setbacks.

The 75-year-old star revealed he is feeling stronger than he has “for quite a while”, though he still does not believe he is ready to return to the stage.

The musician spoke candidly in a new interview with the BBC ahead of his upcoming induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist later this year.

Phil Collins' Genesis bandmate gives update on star's health: 'Much more immobile than he used to be'

While he said the past 18 months have brought significant improvement, he reflected on an intensely difficult period in which multiple health problems collided at once.

Phil Collins is due to be honoured at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in November, following his earlier induction with Genesis in 2010. Picture: Getty

“Before that, not so good. Everything healthwise caught up with me at the same time and whatever could go wrong did go wrong. But everything's fine now,” Collins said.

The former Genesis frontman explained that ongoing knee problems became increasingly severe after years of performing through the pain while touring.

“I had problems with my knee, which I had for a while, but I played through it, toured through it,” he said.

“But eventually I had to have a knee operation and I had to have [it] five times because it kept either getting infected or it broke, you know. So I was inactive for a long time.”

Collins is due to be honoured at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in November, following his earlier induction with Genesis in 2010.

The 75-year-old star revealed he is feeling stronger than he has “for quite a while”, though he still does not believe he is ready to return to the stage (pictured with daughter Lily Collins). Picture: Getty

Despite speculation surrounding a possible live appearance, the singer said he has declined an invitation to perform because he does not yet feel physically prepared.

“I can't really see it happening, but I'm healthier now than I have been for quite a while,” he said.

He also explained performing again would require extensive preparation and rehearsal, something he is reluctant to commit to unless he feels fully capable.

“You can't just go on stage. You have to rehearse,” Collins said. “And then by that point, if you've not been singing, your voice is going to be shot and then that's not going to be good. So I'd rather not do it.”

Although he appears cautious about returning to live performance, Collins did suggest he has not entirely ruled out making music again in the future.

The musician spoke candidly in a new interview with the BBC ahead of his upcoming induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist later this year (pictured in 2022). Picture: Getty

The musician revealed he continues to write ideas down and has unfinished material waiting at home. “I mean, I'm constantly saying to myself, ‘I gotta go back down to my studio at home,'” he said.

“I've got lots of lyrical ideas I write down. And there are things that are half-formed, and a couple of things that are finished. So there's things that I can get my teeth into to start working on.”

Collins last released an album of original material, Testify, in 2002. He officially stepped away from drumming in 2022 after ongoing physical problems made it increasingly difficult for him to play.

In a 2024 documentary, he reflected on the long-term impact decades behind the drum kit had taken on his body, saying that playing since the age of five had “taken its toll” on his hands and legs.

Earlier this year, Collins described his health issues as an “ongoing thing” during another interview, revealing he now has a 24-hour live-in nurse.

Phil Collins does a duet with his son

“I've had challenges with my knee. I had everything that could go wrong with me, did go wrong with me,” he said at the time.

“I got COVID in hospital. My kidneys started to back up. Everything seemed to converge at the same time… I can walk, albeit with assistance, you know, crutches or whatever.”

Despite his health struggles, Collins has made a handful of public appearances in recent times.

Earlier this month, he attended The King’s Trust 50th Anniversary Party at Buckingham Palace alongside his ex-wife Jill Collins, Rod Stewart and Penny Lancaster.

Sharing photographs from the evening on Instagram, Jill Collins wrote that the pair were “very proud and honored” to attend the event and spend time with King Charles, adding that the monarch “seemed genuinely pleased to see Phil.”