Amy Winehouse beckons us with her finger through the bar and dining area of a plush Camden wine bar and into the ladies loo. Here she plonks herself, beehive slightly squished, on the shelf next to the sink, opens the Daily Star – and begins to work her way through the crossword and Sudoku, while OK! Conducts one of its most unusual interviews of all time.
Given the rather public nature of the location, it’s hardly suprising that Amy, 24, is interrupted continuously throughout the interview by fans offering love and asking for photographs and autographs. Without fail though, she is gracious, patient and kind – posing for pictures, signing their beer mats and even chattering to foreign devotees in Spanish and Portuguese! She’s undoubtedly skinny, but she has definitely gained a few pounds and, in the flesh, looks more robust and prettier than you’d expect. Tonight she seems a long way from the disheveled, deranged, decaying, violent pop wreck we’ve all read about.
Amy has agreed to talk so she can introduce her musical goddaughter, Dionne Bromfield, a super-talented 12 year old whom Amy has known since she was a baby. The bond we saw between the two earlier in the evening, as they cuddled, walked arm-in-arm, and whispered in each other’s ears secretively, was truly heart-warming – showing a maternal side of Amy we’ve not seen before.
Her friends tell us Amy is battling the drug problems that she has been blighted with recently, and is determined to be back to her best for her husband Blake Fielder-Civils return. With his trial reaching its climax this week, pals were fretting about how she would cope if her hopes were dashed about him being released from prison, and given the couples turbulent history together, they could be forgiven for worrying even more about what might happen when he does get out.
But for now Amy is chipper, gossipy and bursting to tell us about her dreams for the future – a life of domestic harmony featuring Amy the housewife, at home with her husband, doing the ironing and raising five kids and perhaps even making the odd appearance on Countdown…
You and Dionne seem really close…
Dionne is definitely the nuts. She’s better than I was at that age. The way she plays guitar and accompanies herself is something else. When I was that age, I didn’t want to do it for a profession but it was something I knew I had and I could always rely on. It’s all very well being good at music but you need to have a trade. Dionne said to me before she just wants to get a degree and then she’ll think about music, which is the loveliest thing I could ever hear.
She seems very grounded. What do you tell her about how to deal with success?
Theres no formula. I show D some of the things I wish I was shown at that age. She probably knows it better than me anyway. In all seriousness, what do I know? I’ve said to her: “When you feel so strongly about something, write it down.”
You obviously love kids…
Yeah! I luurrve kids. I love little girls. I’m a little boy at heart.
A little boy?
Yeah, I’m a little boy ain’t i? [Points to her white shorts and yellow polo shirt] Look at me, in me little run-around. To be honest I think kids have got a lot more going on than adults. They’ve got their heads screwed on a lot better. Blake and I can’t wait to have kids.
How soon?
He’ll be out on the 21st. Please God. He will. And then I can’t wait.
So you’re going to start straight away?
Yeah. I want at least five kids. I want twins. Blake is gonna be the most amazing Dad. When Blake was about we talked about it all the time.
Five kids? What a handful!
I’d love that. I’d really love that. We’d like to have twins, to have identical twins. Blake had a dream that we had a girl who was dark like me. And then I had a dream that I had one older, like 18 months old, dark like me, and identical twin babies. I want twins so I’ll keep going until we have them.
It must have been a hard few months without him…
Yeah. Eight months. He’ll be out on the 21st.
Have you got anything planned?
A private party. There is only me and Blake invited.
You are an intriguing couple…
When me and Blake met we were best friends. And I knew he had a girlfriend. And he tried to hide it from me but I don’t think he realized that I wasn’t bothered actually. To be in love with someone is to be able to let them go and do what they want pray they’ll come back to you. I didn’t know that we were in love. Everybody else knew, apart from us. I didn’t know we were destined to be together but I thought I’d die without him. I thought I’d never see him again. But everybody else around us knew we’d be together.
How does it feel, now he’s all yours?
Amazing.
What do you adore most about him?
He sees the good in everyone. The same as I do.
You’ve both been accused of being unfaithful…
[Sighs] I dunno, theres loads of bollocks printed. Me and my husband are so close that I think it doesn’t really matter. But maybe it does? But I swear it don’t. It doesn’t mean bollocks.
Does it cause problems, or are you completely on the same wavelength?
Yeah, we are. At the end of the day we know…
It’s been reported that you and Blake have an open relationship [Blake reportedly wrote to a girl claiming they are both free to see other people]. Is that true?
Does that mean that we both see other people? No way. We are absolutely obsessed with each other. We both pinch ourselves daily. It’s unbelieveable that the person that you’re obsessed with is the person who loves you most in the world.
Is that never too overpowering?
[Grins] Yeah!
Does it scare you?
[She looks at OK! With a mixture of defiance and amusement] Yeah! It’s great!
Do you like danger, Amy?
I love my husband.
Are you absolutely convinced that he’s coming out?
Yeah! For definite.
People are so desperate to speak to you. Does it feel like everyone thinks they own a bit of you?
I don’t know. My husband might think differently. People don’t own a part of me but my husband definitely does own all of me.
Tell us something noone knows about him…
My Blake? He is very doting. He is a very doting husband.
Do you ever wish you weren’t famous, that you could go away and live a different life together?
I don’t think theres any point in thinking like that. I’m a realist and a dreamer. There are certain things you can give people and certain things you can’t.
What about if you had kept your talent quiet – what kind of life would you be living?
I would be a housewife. Its pretty much what I am anyway!
So you like putting the Marigolds on? [*note: Marigolds are a brand of cleaning glove in the UK]
Yeah, so much! I enjoy ironing. If I was a housewife with Blake, we’d live in Camden, Blake would work from home. He’s got all his cameras at home and his projector, and he’d just live in his little editing suite and edit his films. And I’d sing to him.
That sounds sweet. So you’re good at ironing, what else are you good at?
I like cooking. I’m good at meatballs. I used to walk into the kitchens in the Hawley Arms, grab a bag of mince and then cook meatballs for ten people, back at the house, after a night out.
What do people most misunderstand about you?
The people around me know me and love me. I don’t really know anyone who has funny misconceptions.
What’s your best quality?
I’m mothering, I suppose.
What have you read about yourself that you’ve thought, that’s way off?
There have been funny things a lot of times. I just think, where do they get that from? There was a bit in the paper that said me and Kelly Osbourne went out and brought loads of cups of tea to homeless people. Its just mad.
Do you enjoy the lifestyle of being a massive international superstar?
I have said to Dionne theres no point in being famous. You can make your own rules and you don’t have to answer to anyone. But I just think about my husband. And I just think about him not feeling comfortable…
Is it crazy at your house? Have you got paps outside 24 hours a day?
It’s been alright recently. I’ve been in hospital.
Oh yes, you were in for emphysema, weren’t you?
No. It wasn’t. I did have some areas of emphysema, so maybe some of it was.
How are you getting better? Are you eating properly?
I am, I’m eating loads of healthy food, sleeping loads, playing on my guitar, making music. And writing letters to my husband every day.
If you could send a message to Blake right now, what would it be?
He knows. [Looks down] He knows.
Is it hard to know whom to trust?
[Nods her head] It’s sad.
Does that make you unhappy?
No. I’m alright. I’m a good judge of character. Me and Dionne, I’m like: ‘Do we like that person?’ and she’s like: ‘No way!’. [Smiles] She’s good, she’s good.
Do you ever feel like she’s the grownup?
Defo. She’s amazing.
There was talk that you and Mark Ronson had fallen out. Are you still friends?
Yeah. He came to see me when I was in hospital. He said to me: ‘This about the nicest time I’ve had in about three weeks’. And I was like ‘Yeah, me ‘n’ all’. We just get on really well. He’s lovely.
You’re friends with Big Brother stars Aisleyne Horgan-Wallace and Kinga Karolczak. We saw pictures of them at your home…
Yeah. I don’t know Kinga that well. I think Kinga’s a bit of a pisstaker. But that’s probably because of her insecurities. What I saw on the show was a really lovely girl. I love Aisleyne though. Do you have her number? She’s a lovely girl. I find a lot of girls put me down, but Ash ain’t like that.
What do you think about the comparisons between you and Britney?
I think she’s been tormented.