Phil Collins contemplated suicide after his third marriage

The musician fell into a deep depression when his relationship with Orianne Cevey ended in March 2006 and considered ending his life, but stopped himself when he thought of his two youngest sons Nicholas and Matthew.

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, he said: "I wouldn`t blow my head off. I`d overdose or do something that didn`t hurt. But I wouldn?t do that to the children."

Phil - who was also married to Andrea Bertorelli, who he divorced in 1980 and has a son Simon with, and Jill Taverman, who he legally separated from in 1996 and has a daughter Lily with - also revealed the suicide note of British comedian Tony Hancock, which contained the line "too many things went wrong too often" played heavily on his mind at the time.

The former Genesis star - who can no longer play the drums after suffering a neck injury - is also planning to stop making music after he finishes promoting his latest album `Going Back`, because he is sick of the criticism that has been directed at him and his solo work.

Phil, who lives in Geneva, Switzerland, so he can be near Orianne and their sons - said: "I sometimes think I`m going to write this Phil Collins character out of the story. Phil Collins will just disappear or be murdered in some hotel bedroom, and people will say, `What happened to Phil?` And the answer will be, `He got murdered, but, yeah, anyway, let`s carry on.` That kind of thing."

sections: Celebrities