Phil Collins used to drink wine at 11am and struggled to get out of bed in the morning.
The 63-year-old musician – who has a personal fortune estimated to be worth £120 million and has won seven Grammy awards – insists three failed marriages and the absence of his five children led to a period of heavy drinking and soul searching.
He told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "The retirement process started in 2004 when [son] Matthew was born.
"I thought I’m going to do this the right way – I don’t need another gold record, or any gratuity or gratification; I want to stop [making music] and bring my kids up. And then stuff happens you can’t control. You get a divorce so I’m not living with my kids."
It was at this stage the ‘In the Air Tonight’ hitmaker split from his third wife, Orianne, and he started drinking heavily.
He said: "I’m getting up and watching cricket, turning on the television at 11am and having a bottle of wine.
"I was never an alcoholic; I just got to be doing that most days.
"But you have to have a reason to get up and my manager keeps saying, ‘You have to do something.’ But right now I don’t really feel the urge to record.
"My doctor said, ‘I can stop you drinking but I can’t give you a reason to get up in the morning.’ I stopped drinking 18 months ago, but they’re still trying to find me that reason."
Phil Collins reveals extent of drink troubles
