Phil Collins has been seen arriving at the Genesis Tour rehearsals in a wheelchair ahead of the upcoming band reunion.
The 69-year-old musician made headlines earlier this week after his ex-wife Orianne made a series of personal digs at the drummer’s personal hygiene.
Her swipes came after she was ordered to leave his Florida mansion where she has reportedly been residing with her new husband.
Phil returned to the studio to prepare for the Genesis comeback, putting the drama aside as he focused on the hotly anticipated reunion.
Their comeback comes 13 years after the group performed together for the final time.
Phil Collins has been seen arriving at the Genesis Tour rehearsals (Image: MEGA)
Collins arrived at the venue in a wheelchair, as his health has worsened in recent years after suffering nerve damage in his back.
He cannot play the drums to his full ability due to his back injury, so his 19-year-old son Nicholas is taking his place in the lineup, and he was also at the band rehearsals.
Phil previously told the Daily Mail: “My vertebrae have been crushing my spinal cord because of the position I drum in. It comes from years of playing. I can’t even hold the sticks properly without it being painful.”
Collins’ ex-wife Orianne made a series of digs at the drummer’s personal hygiene (Image: Getty Images)
The iconic musician, who is also dad to Lily, Joely, Simon and Matthew Collins, is currently clashing with his ex-wife Orianne and has accused her of trying to “extort” him.
Their row began when Orianne, 46, moved her new husband Thomas Bates, 31, into Phil’s $40million Florida mansion.
The Swiss jewellery designer has refused to move out as she claims half of the property is entitled to her under a “verbal cohabitation agreement” with Phil.
She then made the series of personal remarks about Phil in court documents.
Orianne’s attorneys alleged that Phil was “usually drunk by mid-morning” and “incapable of having sex” with her.
Phil cannot play the drums like he used to due to nerve damage in his back (Image: Getty Images)
They claimed that by 2019 Phil “became increasingly depressed, withdrawn and abusive and, following an operation on his back, increasingly addicted to antidepressants and painkillers”.
The papers also alleged: “By 2019, he was incapable of having sex. He stopped showering, brushing his teeth and dressing properly.
“In fact he did not shower or brush his teeth from 2019 until August 2020 when he vacated the property.”
Phil was also accused of smelling so bad that he “became a hermit” that “refused to interact personally” with anyone.
They claimed: “As a result, Orianne had no choice but to distance herself from him.”
Phil’s lawyers hit back at the accusations and branded them “a litany of demonstrably false, immaterial, impertinent, scandalous and scurrilous allegations which have nothing to do with the legal claims in this case”.
They claimed: “These allegations are included only to further defendants’ plan to deliberately make sensationalised and/or false allegations in an effort to extort money.”
They added that an allegation that Phil was “not mentally competent” to defend his claim over the Florida house was included in court documents to ”smear’ a world-renowned musician who is currently in rehearsal to return to the stage with his band Genesis once the coronavirus pandemic passes.
Collins’ legal team have requested that the judge strike the comments from the record.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
