Orianne Cevey is a Swiss entrepreneur and jewelry designer, and most people first heard her name because of her marriage to the British musician Phil Collins. Reducing her to “the singer’s ex-wife” misses a lot, though. For decades she has been active in business, design, and philanthropy.
Her path has also taken in raising children, a frightening medical emergency, more than one marriage, and legal battles that played out in public. She and Collins have two sons, Nicholas and Mathew. This article walks through her childhood, studies, career, family, the years with Collins, and the later events that put her back in the spotlight.
Orianne Cevey at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
| Full name | Orianne Cevey |
| Also known as | Orianne Collins |
| Place of birth | Nyon, Switzerland |
| Nationality | Swiss |
| Heritage | Swiss and Thai |
| Education | Master’s degree in International Management |
| Occupation | Jewelry designer and entrepreneur |
| Early work | Marketing, communications, events, and translation |
| Jewelry label | OC Jewellery / Orianne Collins Jewellery |
| Best known for | Her marriage to Phil Collins |
| Marriage to Collins | 1999 to 2008 |
| Children | Three sons |
| Sons with Collins | Nicholas (Nic) and Mathew |
| Second husband | Charles Fouad Mejjati |
| Third husband | Thomas Bates |
| Charity | Co-founder of the Little Dreams Foundation |
| Health crisis | Severe mobility loss following neck surgery in 2014 |
| Today | Jewelry, business ventures, and charitable causes |
Growing Up in Nyon
Orianne was born in Nyon, a town in Switzerland, and grew up there. Her family background is a mix of two worlds: published accounts describe her father as Swiss and her mother as Thai. That blend of cultures later showed up in the styles and motifs she chose for her jewelry.
As a child and teenager she was energetic and loved being outdoors. Older profiles mention hiking, tennis, and golf, and she is also said to have trained in martial arts. Those details paint a picture of an ordinary, sporty upbringing, far removed from the celebrity circles she would later join.
Studying in Switzerland
She stayed in Switzerland for her higher education and completed a master’s degree in International Management, according to a profile from the Couture Show. The degree gave her a solid grounding in business and prepared her for her first jobs, well before she moved into the jewelry trade.
Jewelry and design had always attracted her. Even so, she began with a conventional career path, working in marketing and communications and then running her own firm, before design became a bigger share of her professional life.
Work Before Meeting Collins
Once her studies were done, Orianne took a job as a marketing and communications manager at a venture capital firm. In 1994 she launched O-Com SA, a company focused on events and communications. By then she was already building her own professional reputation, long before the Collins name was attached to hers.
She also worked as a translator, and that role matters to her story because it reportedly put her in the same room as Collins when he visited Switzerland in 1994. At the time she was far from the public eye and concentrated on her work and her business plans.
The Meeting With Phil Collins
The two met in 1994 during Collins’s stay in Switzerland, where, according to reports, she translated for him while he was touring and doing promotional work. Collins was already among the most recognizable musicians on the planet, whereas Orianne was still establishing herself in business.
What began as a professional relationship soon turned romantic. They reportedly got engaged in 1997 and then decided to wed. The press paid close attention, partly because of Collins’s celebrity and partly because Orianne was over twenty years his junior.
The 1999 Wedding
Orianne and Collins married in 1999 and settled in Switzerland. The wedding drew wide coverage, since Collins was famous as the former Genesis frontman and a hugely successful solo artist. It was his third marriage.
Over the course of the marriage, family became a priority for him. After their children arrived, he scaled back some of his musical commitments and spent more time with his sons. The family stayed in Switzerland for several years until the couple’s relationship finally ended.
Their Children
Together, Orianne and Collins have two sons: Nicholas, known as Nic, and Mathew. Nicholas was born in 2001 and Mathew a few years afterward. They are the youngest of Collins’s five children.
Both boys went their own ways. Nic became a drummer and has played professionally alongside his father. Recent coverage from 2026 says Mathew has gone into football and signed with the German club 1860 Munich. Largely because of the boys, their parents stayed in touch after the divorce.
The Little Dreams Foundation
Beyond family life, the couple also worked together on charitable projects. In February 2000 they established the Little Dreams Foundation in Switzerland, which was formally unveiled in Geneva in September 2001.
The foundation aims to assist gifted young people who lack the funds or backing to pursue their ambitions. It has helped them in fields including music, art, and sport. Orianne stayed closely tied to it and attended numerous public events on its behalf through the years.
This philanthropy reveals another dimension of her public life. She was not only a fixture at celebrity gatherings or a businesswoman; she also spent years helping young people build their talents and move toward their goals.
Building a Jewelry Career
Jewelry gradually became one of Orianne’s central professional passions. Around 2007 she began concentrating on making pieces of her own. Her designs drew on her travels, various cultures, colors, symbols, and traditional crafts she had encountered around the world.
She went on to build OC Jewellery and gained recognition as a luxury designer. Her collections featured bright, handcrafted items, and she promoted them through events and a presence in Miami’s Design District.
The jewelry business gave her an identity separate from her marriage to Collins. Meanwhile her private life was shifting. The marriage had fallen apart, producing a heavily covered divorce and opening a new phase that would include another marriage, grave health problems, a reunion with Collins, and a major legal fight in Miami.
The Divorce
The couple announced their split in 2006, after several years together, and reports at the time said they had drifted apart. The divorce was finalized in 2008, formally closing the marriage. They remained linked afterward because of their two young sons.
The divorce made headlines mainly because of the money involved. Trustworthy 2008 reports put the settlement at roughly £25 million, equal to about $46 to $47 million then, and it was widely called one of the biggest divorce payouts in the history of British entertainment.
Marriage to Charles Fouad Mejjati
After her marriage to Collins ended, Orianne began a new chapter with Charles Fouad Mejjati, an investment banker. Reports indicate they married and had a son. That makes her a mother of three, even though the two sons she has with Collins attract far more public attention.
This marriage eventually collapsed too and brought legal trouble of its own. Court documents covered by People showed a dispute between Orianne and Mejjati over their marital settlement and a home in Miami Beach. Their divorce was resolved in 2017 after a prolonged disagreement.
A Serious Health Crisis
In 2014 Orianne went through one of the toughest stretches of her life. She underwent surgery for a slipped disc in her neck, and reports say complications during the procedure injured her spinal cord, leaving her partially unable to move normally.
The damage was serious enough that she used a wheelchair for part of her recovery. Rehabilitation followed, and she gradually regained the ability to walk, though she was seen with a cane. Her experience with spinal injury later fed into charity work for people facing similar challenges.
Reuniting With Collins
Even after the divorce, the two kept in touch for the sake of their sons. Their bond grew close again, and by 2016 they confirmed publicly that they were a couple once more. Orianne even mentioned at the time that remarrying was a possibility.
Many people were surprised, given how widely the divorce had been reported. Collins explained, however, that they had worked to maintain a healthy relationship for their children. For several years they shared their lives again and appeared together at events for the Little Dreams Foundation.
The second chapter did not last. By summer 2020 they had parted ways again, and soon afterward news of Orianne’s new marriage emerged, starting another tense period between the former partners.
Thomas Bates and the Miami Dispute
Orianne wed Thomas Bates in August 2020. Court filings later confirmed that Bates moved into the Miami Beach house where she had been living with Collins. When her relationship with Collins ended, a bitter argument erupted over who was entitled to the property.
Collins’s side alleged that Orianne and Bates would not leave, changed the security codes, covered cameras, and hired armed guards. These were allegations made during the lawsuit and should not be treated as established fact. Orianne’s side countered that she held rights to the house through a verbal agreement she said she had with Collins.
She eventually filed a claim for around $20 million, asserting that Collins had promised her half the home’s value. The dispute also extended to valuable items inside the house, such as jewelry, music memorabilia, and personal belongings. The court told both sides to handle those items with care while the case went on.
Orianne and Bates left the Miami property in January 2021 under a partial agreement, and the house was then readied for sale. The larger case dragged on until August 2022, when a Florida judge threw out her $20 million claim after finding repeated failures on her part to comply with court orders.
Her marriage to Bates ended as well. In December 2021, after roughly a year together, Orianne said she was filing for divorce, and later reports called Bates her ex-husband.
Life After the Final Split
Since parting from Collins for good, Orianne has stayed connected to jewelry, philanthropy, and business. Her professional profile continues to list Orianne Collins Jewellery and her many years with the Little Dreams Foundation.
She has also backed causes tied to spinal cord injuries. In 2023, part of the money raised at an auction of her jewelry, handbags, and other personal items was earmarked for the Never Give Up Foundation, which assists people with spinal injuries as well as children from less privileged families.
As of 2026, the public still knows her mostly through her long association with Collins. Yet her own story also covers entrepreneurship, jewelry design, charity, three children, serious health battles, and several widely publicized relationships.
Final Thoughts
Orianne Cevey cannot be summed up by her marriage to Phil Collins alone. She developed a career in business and jewelry, helped found a charity for young people, and raised three sons. She also endured a spinal injury that transformed her life and demanded a long recovery.
Her ties to Collins are still the main reason people recognize her name, and their wedding, divorce, reunion, and Miami property battle drew attention worldwide. Looking at the whole picture, though, gives readers a fuller understanding of the person behind those headlines.
FAQs
Who is Orianne Cevey?
Orianne Cevey is a Swiss entrepreneur and jewelry designer who rose to wide recognition after marrying British singer and Genesis member Phil Collins. Her résumé also includes communications work, philanthropy, and jewelry design.
How many children does Orianne Cevey have?
She has three sons. Nicholas and Mathew are her children with Phil Collins, and she also has a son with her second husband, Charles Fouad Mejjati.
Did Orianne Cevey and Phil Collins reconcile?
Yes. Several years after the divorce they became a couple again and confirmed the reunion publicly around 2016. That second relationship came to an end in 2020.
What happened to Orianne Cevey after her surgery?
She suffered severe complications following neck surgery in 2014. Reports say spinal cord damage left her partly unable to move normally. After rehabilitation she regained much of her ability to walk and was later seen using a cane.
Is Orianne Cevey still married to Thomas Bates?
No. She announced in December 2021 that she would divorce Thomas Bates, about a year after they wed, and later reports describe him as her former husband.
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