New York Post

One and done for Orianne

-

AND they said it wouldn’t last . . .

Phil Collins’ ex-wife, Orianne Cevey, announced on Thursday she’s divorcing her husband of just a year, Thomas Bates — and she blamed the brief marriage on the pandemic.

“I am filing for divorce from my husband, Thomas Bates. I believe the emotional distress of the COVID quarantine caused me to act in ways and do things that were out of character,” she began on Instagram. “Fortunatel­y, I have faced challengin­g situations before and like I always have, I will muster the strength I can, the best team I can find and the courage to do the right thing.”

Cevey explained that her “intention” is to let the attorneys handle the proceeding­s behind closed doors, which is why she posted “this statement on [her] personal account.” She also thanked her followers for the support.

Cevey and Bates secretly wed in Las Vegas in August 2020 and shacked up in Genesis crooner Collins’ $40 million Miami Beach, Fla., estate — prompting the “Sussudio” singer to sue for eviction when they refused to move out.

In Collins’ lawsuit, he claimed Cevey and Bates took control of the property “by a show of force” with armed guards who surrounded the estate. He also claimed that the new couple changed the home’s security codes. It’s unclear if Cevey’s statement about “challengin­g situations” was alluding to her battle with Collins.

Collins and Cevey were married from 1999 to 2008. They share two sons together, Nicholas, 20 — who is filling in for his father on drums during Genesis’ current tour — and Matthew, 17.

In October, a judge ruled Cevey can go ahead and sue Collins for half of the $40 million estate they once lived in together. An insider told us at the time: “She’s suing for half, and he tried to get [the case] dismissed . . . Now the judge ruled that her case can move forward.” But a rep for Collins fired back that Cevey’s case “was filed in the wrong court, and [she] had to refile in the correct court, so the only significan­ce in this ruling is the court that she’s going to lose in.”

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States