Lily Collins feels British
Lily Collins insists she’s "British at heart".
The ‘Last Tycoon’ actress’ parents, singer Phil Collins and his second wife Jill Taverman split when she was just five and she went to live in Los Angeles with her mother.
Although Lily has spoken with an American accent for most of her life, she has also been keen to embrace her British roots.
Speaking about leaving the UK, Lily said: "At first I felt very much out of place because I was only five, I had a funny accent, and I guess I looked more European too, because I hadn’t been Americanised yet. But as a kid you quickly adapt, so I started to speak like an American.
"I know I sound American, but I’m British at heart. When I’m with Americans, I’ll sometimes use English terms – like loo instead of toilet – and everyone’s puzzled. But there’s something about the language that feels natural to me. I love LA but I feel European too."
Lily, 27, is extremely close to her mother but she still has a great relationship with her dad, even though they haven’t lived near each for a long time.
She told Weekend magazine: "I live a block away from my mother – she’s my best friend. I don’t see my dad as Phil Collins, I see him as Dad. I’ve grown up with distance between us – I was in LA when he was living in England, and then he was in Switzerland and Miami. But we travel a lot. I’m a very proud daughter and he’s super-excited about anything that happens to me."
