Phil Collins is facing one of the toughest chapters of his life. The music legend is now under round-the-clock care as his health problems continue, and he isn’t sugarcoating how hard it’s been. “Everything that could go wrong with me, did go wrong with me,” Collins admitted, laying bare years of pain and setbacks. What should have been a peaceful stage of life has instead turned into a daily fight—one filled with frustration, exhaustion, and uncertainty. For the man whose songs once filled stadiums, these last few years have been especially cruel, a reminder that even icons aren’t spared when life hits all at once.

Phil Collins is opening up about his health troubles.

On Wednesday, Jan. 21, ahead of his 75th birthday, the Genesis musician made an appearance on BBC’s Eras podcast and gave rare insight into the health challenges he’s been experiencing over the last few years.

“It’s an ongoing thing,” he told host Zoe Ball. “I have a 24-hour live-in nurse to make sure I take my medication as I should do. I’ve had challenges with my knee. I had everything that could go wrong with me, did go wrong with me.”

“I got COVID in hospital. My kidneys started to back up. Everything seemed to converge at the same time,” he continued.

The “In the Air Tonight” artist then revealed that he’s undergone five knee surgeries and now only has one “that works.”

“I can walk, albeit with assistance, you know, crutches or whatever,” he added.

Collins then reflected on his recovery and admitted that his kidneys were “messed up” because he’d been “drinking too much.” He has since quit drinking alcohol and shared that he recently celebrated two years of sobriety.

“I enjoyed coming off tour. Coming off the road, I thought, right, I’m gonna do all those things that I couldn’t do,” he explained. “I guess I had too much of it. I was never drunk, although I fell over a couple of times. But it is just one of those things that happened and it all caught up with me, and I spent months in hospital.”

“It’s just been a difficult, interesting, frustrating last few years,” he admitted. “But it’s all right now.”

Last year, a representative for Collins confirmed to PEOPLE that he was recovering from knee surgery amid online speculation that he was in hospice care.

In February 2025, the eight-time Grammy winner opened up about how his health issues affected his desire to play music, telling MOJO magazine that while he thought about venturing into his studio to make new music, his condition stopped him.

“I keep thinking I should go downstairs to the studio and see what happens. But I’m not hungry for it anymore,” he said at the time. “The thing is, I’ve been sick. I mean very sick.”

In 2022, Collins retired from playing the drums after his health woes made it difficult for him to pick up a drumstick. That year, Genesis toured for a final time.