"Mortal Instruments" star Lily Collins grew up with an absentee father. Her musician dad Phil Collins, a famous singer from the '80s, was pretty much non-existent in her childhood and the 27-year-old actress recently revealed her true feelings for him in an open letter.
Lily published a book of essays called "Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me," where she penned a letter to her dad. The "Mirror, Mirror" actress opened up about her pain and "terrible" relationship with the Genesis lead singer.
"He may have still been alive, but most of the time it felt as if he were completely gone," Lily wrote in her book, according to BBC. "I knew he loved me, yet he wasn't physically around to tell me."
A post shared by Lily Collins (@lilyjcollins) on Mar 7, 2017 at 9:33am PST
Phil was married to Lily's mother, Jill Tavelman, in 1989 and admitted to being an unfaithful husband in his memoir, according to E! Online. He left his family and moved to Switzerland while Lily was still a child. The singer also has four kids from other relationships.
Lily admitted her father's relationship with his wives caused her eating disorder and insecurities. Having grown up, however, Lily revealed she has learned to let go of her pain and daddy issues. Writing the letter helped her acknowledge the sadness but she's grateful she can voice out her feelings.
"I forgive you for not always being there when I needed and for not being the dad I expected," the actress wrote. "I forgive the mistakes you made."
Today, the father and daughter have a better relationship. Phil is no doubt proud of what Lily has achieved in her career, especially since she has been receiving critical acclaim and recognition for her latest movie "Rules Don't Apply."
"He was very proud; he was really, really excited," the actress said of her father's reaction upon learning she sang in the film, per Genesis Fan. Watch Lily talk about her dad in the video below.
