Phil Collen – Def Leppard

Phil Collen is the lead guitarist for British rock group Def Leppard and has been shredding with the band since 1982. He is almost as well known for his incredible physique as he is for his axe skills. Def Leppard released their first album in 1980 and it was an immediate hit in the UK. Since then, despite tragedy in the band and line-up changes, they’ve never let up and have recorded 12 studio albums. They have been named one of the ‘Big Four’ glam-metal bands of the eighties and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Phil Collen has also been involved in many side projects over the years.

Why Phil Collen is vegan

Phil Collen went vegetarian for the animals and later vegan for his health.

Like many rock stars in the eighties, Collen once lived a life of excess, indulging in alcohol and unhealthy habits. But in 1984, Collen quit the bottle and began eating healthily and exercising regularly. This is also when he became a vegetarian, after realising meat was a product of horrific violence. He found the idea of eating animal’s body parts “gross” and no longer tolerable. Many years later, around 2010, Collen adopted a fully plant-based diet for health reasons and in 2022 he even said he was considering a raw vegan diet.¹Nagra, M. 2022. Interviewing Phil Collen of Def Leppard! Available: https://drmatthewnagra.com/phil-collen-interview/ [Accessed 3 June 2026].

“Thirty-two years ago, I became a vegetarian. I always thought it was a bit weird eating dead bodies even though my parents said it was all right. But I saw ‘The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,’ and that did it. In the movie, they’re doing the same thing to people that they do to animals, and so I gradually got off eating meat…. The health thing came way later. Veganism came four years ago, and it was more of a health decision.”²Fell, J.S. 2015. How Def Leppard’s Phil Collen traded the booze for a better body. Los Angeles Times. Available: https://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-phil-collen-def-leppard-interview-20150627-story.html [Accessed 24 March 2021].