If you need a syrup-laden ballad to lubricate the wheels of romance, Phil Collins is your No1 contender.

But while an army of fans have smooched to his slushy love songs, the 5ft 6in star is far from being Mr Romantic in person.

With his 60th birthday coming up in January, Phil is in no hurry to hear wedding bells again - after three divorces have landed him with £42million in alimony bills.

His latest love is US newsreader Dana Tyler, 51, who he met when she interviewed him for her channel in New York.

Phil says: "She's a very sweet girl, sweet lady. But I'm not going to get married again. I think I'm better off on my own."

Maybe grumpy Phil, who penned tearjerking numbers such as Against All Odds and One More Night, has finally realised that he just isn't husband material.

The Genesis singer first tied the knot in 1975 to fellow drama student Andrea Bertorelli. It lasted only five years.

Within months he met bride No2 Jill Tavelman. Their 12-year union was reported to have ended when he sent her a fax announcing it was all over. She scooped £17million in her goodbye deal.

Next was Swiss translator Orianne Cevey, 22 years his junior and now enjoying a £25million settlement from January 2007.

But with worldwide record sales of 250 million - as a member of Genesis and a separate solo artist - Phil can well afford to keep the former Mrs Collinses happy.

He is delighted all his exes are the best of pals and that the happily divorced foursome often enjoy dinner together.

Phil says: "I'm very proud of the fact that we go out and sit at the same table. It's what life should be like.

"And it often isn't, because people take sides. Whatever happened, happened, and it wasn't one person's fault."

Whether new girlfriend Dana attends these get-togethers is unclear. But he insists he is not put off popping the question by the prospect of a fourth divorce with another few million vanishing from his nest egg.

"Well, that's never been an issue," he says, trying to laugh off the alimony millions.

Phil, whose song Another Day In Paradise highlights the problems of homelessness, also angrily rejects the jibe that he is a Tory-supporting tax exile who fled the UK for Switzerland as Labour closed in on power in the mid-90s.

He says: "There's all those comments, 'Why do you live in Switzerland?' People still say, 'Oh, the tax is good here... ' "I moved here to Switzerland because I fell in love with Orianne. She lived here.

"Sure I could have made her move to England. But I can do whatever I do here.

"And her father was dying of cancer, and her grandmother and grandfather were dying from cancer.

"So I wasn't going to pull her away from them. So that's why I live here. And the only reason I still live here is because my sons are here." Orianne lives with the couple's children, Nicholas, nine, and Matthew, five, in their former marital home near Geneva.

The house is just a few minutes down the road from Phil's place.

The singer, currently plugging his new Motown-style album Going Back, seems content with the life of a thrice-divorced multi-millionaire but his mood can darken in an instant. "Don't p*** on me," he growls when awkward areas of tax avoidance or the unpleasant side of marriage splits surface.

Phil gets enraged when there is a mention of an interview given to the press a couple of years ago by someone who had been long-time pals with his mum.

The friend, Barbara Speake, told a reporter that Orianne's postnatal depression contributed to their divorce.

"Barbara Speake should keep her f***ing mouth shut, frankly," he spits.

"Barbara Speake thinks she knows more than she does. Oh yeah."

The message is clear enough but Phil still adds bitterly. "Not my favourite person."

to Then astonishingly - and this looks like bad tidings for the TV news girl - he reveals he is still crazy about his now-remarried ex-wife (the third one, keep up).

"We are very much in love with each other, actually." And he says of their divorce: "The fact is it never should have happened." But he admits there were differences and misunderstandings.

"I remember saying when our son Matthew was born that I was going to slow down entirely because I really was looking forward to taking him to football and doing all the things dads do.

"And I think she thought I expected her to do that, which wasn't actually true.

"I think she just felt that she just wanted to prove some things on her own. Which she is doing, and she's doing fantastically well."

He's clearly spent much time analysing the reasons behind all three divorces.

Phil say his first bride Andrea "just decided to leave because I was on the road all the time".

But for the record, no he did not divorce his second wife Jill by fax, he insists.

That he became estranged from his children by Andrea was more to do with the fact they went to live with their mum in Vancouver.

Phil is now close to the two - Joely, 38, an actress, and Simon, 33, a musician. He also has a bond with his daughter by Jill - Lily, 21, a Los Angelesbased model and actress.

He rejects the suggestion that his second divorce was brought on by a series of workaholic schedules during the 80s when he enjoyed a string of hits.

Phil says: "Jill came everywhere with me then. She went on tour, she went to Live Aid. I know what it seems like but it wasn't like that."

He has performed a handful of concerts in support of Going Back. But that, more than likely, is that.

The priorities now are staying at home in Switzerland and being on hand for his two young sons.

Phil says: "I want to be here to take the boys to school, to football..."

It is anyone's guess what this means for his New York-based girlfriend.

But, Dana, don't look in your stocking this Christmas for a huge diamond engagement ring from a mega-rich rock star.

WIFE NUMBER ONE

Phil wed Andre a Bertorelli in 1975. He adopted her daughter, Joely, and they had Simon.

But the couple divorced in 1980 after Andrea ran off with their decorator, fed up with Phil's constant touring. As a bitter message to his ex, Phil sang his 1981 solo hit In the Air Tonight on Top of the Pops sitting at his piano with a pot of paint and brush.

WIFE NUMBER TWO

Along came American Jill Tavelman and Phil married her in 1984. They had a daughter, Lily, 21, in 1989 but divorced in 1996 after Phil reportedly dumped her by fax. She won a £17million settlement.

WIFE NUMBER THREE

Swiss translator Orianne Cevey met Phil on tour. They set up home in Geneva and had two sons. The pair's lavish 1999 wedding had 300 guests including Elton John and Eric Clapton.

But they divorced in January 2007 and Orianne walked off with a £25million payout.

THE NEW GIRLFRIEND

Phil and WCBS TV newsreader Dana Tyler fell in love after meeting when Dana interviewed the Genesis frontman about the Tarzan stage show coming to New York's Broadway in May 2006.

By Craig Mclean.