Edwyn Collins - Personal Life

Personal Life

Collins was born in Edinburgh. He is married to Grace Maxwell, who is also his manager. The couple live in London and have one son, William, who maintains his father's MySpace page.

In a BBC 6 Music radio interview on 18 February 2005, Collins had said he felt unwell, but ascribed the nausea and vertigo to food poisoning. Two days later, he was admitted to intensive care in London's Royal Free Hospital after apparently suffering a major cerebral hemorrhage. After suffering a second haemorrhage he had an operation on 25 February 2005, which was followed by a lengthy programme of neurological rehabilitation owing to right-sided weakness and difficulty with speech. The aphasia he suffered allowed him to repeat only four phrases, over and over again: "yes", "no", "Grace Maxwell" and "the possibilities are endless".

Collins released his sixth solo album in September 2007 on Heavenly Records entitled Home Again. The album was recorded before his illness but mixed after his discharge from hospital. Collins is still on the road to recovery, and he has returned to singing live, including playing a gig at The Arts Theatre in London. A tribute song, celebrating his return, was recorded by the Indiepop band The Candy Twins. In November 2009 Collins walked on stage at London’s Bloomsbury Ballroom. Leaning on a silver-topped cane, he spoke slowly to the crowd, his right arm curled up at his side. "But when he started to sing, his baritone proved as powerful as ever."

A BBC Scotland documentary, Edwyn Collins:Home Again, was broadcast on 19 May 2008 and narrated by Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos. Filmed during 2007, it followed Collins's progress in recovering from his illness, and his first return to live performance at the BBC Electric Proms. He also performed at the Glastonbury Festival, broadcast on 28 June 2008 on BBC Two and at T in the Park on 10 July 2009. On 20 February 2010 he joined The Maccabees onstage at Brixton Academy for their encore, performing vocals on a rendition of "Rip It Up".

In 2010, he received an honorary masters degree from the Buckinghamshire New University in recognition of his "strong influences and contribution to the national and international music industry over the last three decades". On 21 August 2010 he attended the Helmsdale Highland Games as the chieftain, an honour also previously bestowed on his grandfather.

On 30 September 2010, Collins and his band broadcast three numbers live from the Royal Beacon Hotel in Exmouth for BBC Radio 2's Radcliffe and Maconie Show. Music journalist, Stuart Maconie had earlier written his very first NME article, by reviewing Collins' 1987 gig at the Manchester International.

On 30 July 2011, Collins performed at the Indietracks festival at the Midland Railway, Butterley.