Jill Tavelman with her daughter, Emily in Paris star Lily Collins, whom she shares with ex-husband Phil Collins. Photo: @lilyjcollins/Instagram

The former teacher moved back to LA with Lily after the split; now she runs an antiques store and enjoys travelling and spending time with her superstar daughter

Everyone’s favourite marketing executive, Emily Cooper is officially set for a return! Netflix has just renewed Emily in Paris for a fifth season, so viewers can get ready to see more of Cooper’s professional and personal antics as she sashays through dreamy locations in colourful outfits. According to reports, the upcoming season will explore Cooper’s relationship with her new love interest Marcello (played by Eugenio Franceschini) as she heads the Rome office of Agence Grateau while Parisian beau Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) rethinks his choices.

Jill Tavelman’s daughter Lily Collins in a promotional still for her Netflix show Emily in Paris. Photo: @emilyinparis/Instagram
Jill Tavelman’s daughter Lily Collins in a promotional still for her Netflix show Emily in Paris

Much like her character, Lily Collins – who plays the show’s eponymous protagonist – is quite the jet-setter, and has been since her childhood. In her 2017 essay collection Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me, Collins opened up about how her mother Jill Tavelman took her around the world to experience different cultures rather than learning about them in textbooks.

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So, who is Jill Tavelman, who shares her superstar daughter with English rock legend Phil Collins?

She was Collins’ second wife

Jill Tavelman’s ex-husband, Genesis frontman Phil Collins, with the couple’s daughter Lily Collins. Photo: @lilyjcollins/Instagram


Jill Tavelman’s ex-husband, Genesis frontman Phil Collins, with the couple’s daughter Lily Collins

Per People, Tavelman met the now-retired Genesis frontman at Hollywood’s Rainbow Bar in 1980. After dating for four years, they married in 1984. A decade in, the couple split, reportedly due to Collins’ rumoured affair with his ex-fiancée, Lavinia Lang (he later ended up dating and marrying Orianne Cevey). The “In the Air Tonight” crooner is said to have broken up with Tavelman over fax, though he denied the claim. They officially separated in 1994, after which Tavelman moved back to LA from London, taking their daughter Lily, who was five. The divorce was finalised in 1996. Phil Collins later admitted he was “a bit of a b*****d” to Tavelman.

Tavelman recently posted to Instagram on what would have been their 40th wedding anniversary, calling it a “bittersweet day” as the marriage changed her life forever.

She wears many hats

Jill Tavelman with her daughter, Emily in Paris star Lily Collins. Photo: @lilyjcollins/Instagram
Jill Tavelman with her daughter, Emily in Paris star Lily Collins

LA-born Tavelman was once a teacher, and did charity work before founding her own West Hollywood antiques store called Waverly on Doheny in 2014. She was also an architect, according to UK media. On Instagram, she now describes herself as a “Purveyor of Resurrected Oddities”. She’s previously spoken of her love of all things vintage, saying “I just didn’t understand the concept of throwing things away”.

She and Lily Collins are close

Lily Collins and her mum, Jill Tavelman, in Paris for the latter’s birthday in April. Photo: @lilyjcollins/Instagram
Lily Collins and her mum, Jill Tavelman, in Paris for the latter’s birthday in April

Tavelman frequently spends time with her superstar daughter and it’s clear the two share a close bond. The Les Misérables star celebrated her mum’s 68th birthday in Paris, sharing pics from the day on Instagram captioned “I love you so so much and am eternally grateful for you”. Lily also took her to Musée des Arts Forains on Mother’s Day and paid a tribute to her in an Instagram post, writing “I feel so very lucky to be your daughter and to have learned all I have from our experiences together”.