Swiss mansion of Phil Collins’ ex-wife for sale

Collins flew to the United States last weekend after putting up for sale her mansion in the village of Begnins, in the canton of Vaud, Le Matin newspaper said on Friday.

The luxurious home and its sprawling estate, owned earlier by motor racing star Jackie Stewart, is on the market for a cool 60 million francs ($62 million).

The asking price is double what the Collins couple paid for the house when they acquired it, Le Matin reports, citing anonymous sources.

Orianne jetted off on Saturday with her current husband and three children for Miami, Florida, where she plans to live.

She and musician Collins divorced in 2008 after six years of marriage and two years of separation.

He paid her a reported 51 million francs in alimony, ending his third marriage.

The couple has two children who go to school in the canton of Vaud, where Phil Collins continues to maintain a residence.

Orianne Collins’ departure raises questions about the future of the Little Dreams Foundation, a charity she and Phil Collins founded in February 2000.

The foundation provides financial and other kinds of support for four- to 16-year-old children who show promise in the fields of sports and music.

A member of the foundation’s board told Le Matin that Little Dreams “should continue even if Orianne Collins is distant”.

Orianne Collins also set up a chain of jewellery boutiques based in Geneva.

However, according to the Orianne Collins Jewellery website, she no longer has any presence in Switzerland, with boutiques advertised solely in New York, Courchevel (France) and Saint Tropez (France).

Without citing sources, Le Matin said people who know the owner suggest risky investments may have put her in a position where she was forced to sell the Begnins home.