The Swiss jewellery designer previously faced heavy backlash from unforgiving fans when she wished the eight-time Grammy winner a happy birthday on her Instagram after their messy separation, with fans blaming her for “stealing everything”.
When Collins, 73, and Cevey, 50, separated in 2006 and divorced in 2008, their US$46.68 million settlement broke records in British legal history, per People.
So what else do we know about Cevey?
Who is Phil Collins’ ex-wife, Orianne Cevey?
Cevey was born in Nyon, Switzerland; her father is Swiss, and her mother is Thai.
Cevey is an active athlete with a black belt in mixed martial arts; she also skis and has played tennis and golf, per British media.
Who has Orianne Cevey dated in the past?
Cevey reportedly first met Collins in 1994 while serving as his interpreter during the Genesis member’s tour in Switzerland. She was 21 years old at the time – making her 23 years younger than him. They were engaged in 1997 and tied the knot in 1999.
They started a charity called Little Dreams Foundation and had two children, Nicholas and Matthew. After seven years of marriage, the couple filed for divorce in 2006 reportedly due to her postnatal depression. Proceedings ultimately concluded in 2008, with Cevey receiving a staggering US$46.68 million in settlement payments.
Following her divorce from the legendary singer, Cevey married banker Charles Fouad Mejjati and moved to Miami, Florida. The two had a son, Andrea Mejjati – but in 2015, she got back together with Collins after he allegedly nursed her back to health following a devastating back injury that left her partly paralysed. An MRI reportedly showed that she suffered from Brown-Sequard syndrome, a rare neurological condition caused by a spinal cord lesion that results in partial paralysis and loss of sensation.
However, the rekindled relationship didn’t last long, as the two reportedly broke up after she secretly married Thomas Bates, a man 16 years younger than her who she reportedly met via a male escort service, in 2020.
Later, the new couple refused to move out of Collins’ US$40 million Miami mansion, with Cevey slandering her ex-husband with false accusations about his lack of hygiene and more. He eventually had her evicted, per TMZ.
She allegedly has a history of being abusive
Cevey’s marriage with Bates was far from ideal, even beyond its secret nature. The couple filed for divorce 15 months into their marriage, with Bates’ legal team alleging that Cevey was abusive towards him, threatened him with bodily harm, hid his possessions, and even resorted to physical assault. Cevey, however, announced that their marriage fell apart due to the pandemic.
More recently, Mejjati reportedly accused Cevey of battering their son and exposing him to indecent behaviour, drugs and a gun.
What is Orianne Cevey doing now?
Late last year, Cevey made news for auctioning off items worth nearly US$4 million. These items included “some of Phil Collins’ most iconic instruments and collectibles, and Cevey’s most prized possessions”, Kodner Auction Gallery president Russ Kodner told Page Six.
As of 2021, she is running her own jewellery brand OC Jewellery, which she founded in 2007. It has since expanded into OC Home and OC Spa Collections, per Enterprise League.
She is working with the Never Give Up Foundation, which she founded in 2019 after her own ordeal, to provide relief and care for people suffering from spinal cord injuries. The large part of the proceeds of her earlier auction reportedly went to the foundation.
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