Stop buying Amy's songs, say Winehouse in-laws

The in-laws of troubled singer Amy Winehouse today urged fans to stop buying her songs - to send a message to her and her husband that they must sort out their drug problems.

The parents of Blake Fielder-Civil said Winehouse and their son were drug addicts but in a state of denial.

They also said the singer should not be given any awards for which she is nominated, to show the couple's behaviour was not acceptable.

Giles and Georgette spoke out as fears continue to grow for Winehouse, who was pictured bloodstained last week following an alleged row with her husband.

Police were called to London's Sanderson Hotel by a worried onlooker, but the singer refused to press charges.

The shocking images showed Winehouse wearing blood-soaked ballet shoes, with bruises to her neck, bandages on her arms and make-up smeared down her face.

Fielder-Civil had livid scratches covering his face and neck.

Police confirmed they had attended an incident but no charges would be brought. Winehouse later defender her husband, denying that he physically abused her.

Winehouse was admitted to hospital earlier this month after a reported overdose of heroin, ecstasy, cocaine, ketamine and alcohol.

Giles Fielder-Civil told the Victoria Derbyshire programme on BBC Radio 5 Live: "Georgette and I both believe that they are drug addicts, and they don't believe they are. I think they believe they are recreational users of drugs, and they are in control, but it seems to Georgette and I that this isn't the case."

He believed they were taking crack, and there had been instances of heroin use.

They had identified one source of supply, and shared the information with Winehouse's family, the record company and the police.

Mr Fielder-Civil said he had also confronted the source, who had promised to stop.

"They gave me their word, but unfortunately we have learned in the past three weeks that not everybody's word is their bond, and we don't live in a totally honest world."

Mrs Fielder-Civil said: "I think they both need to get medical help, before one of them, if not both of them, eventually will die."

And her husband added: "We are concerned that if one of them dies, the other will die. They are a very close couple, and if one dies through substance abuse, the other may commit suicide."

Winehouse's fans should send a message to her "that her addiction and her behaviour are not acceptable", Mr Fielder-Civil said.

"Perhaps it is time to stop buying records. It's a possibility, to send that message."

That would put pressure on the record company to act, he added.

And the singer should not be given any awards for which she is nominated.

"We shouldn't be condoning her addiction by rewarding her with these awards," he said.

Winehouse's father Mitch told the same programme that the idea of fans not buying her records was “clutching at straws”.

“Will it do any good? No,” he said.

“People are clutching at straws. There’s only one way out of this, and anyone with drug experience will tell you, the only way out is not sectioning them, not locking them up; at some point they are going to reach rock bottom, and at that point they will say: 'I don’t want to do that any more'.”

He said he had spoken to Amy yesterday and she sounded fine.

“We are not talking about people who are in imminent danger of death.”

Asked what he felt when he saw the photographs of the couple in the newspapers last week, he said: “I thought that here are two people that are completely out of control, and yet an hour later they are walking back to the hotel arm in arm.

“As a parent, it was sickening, worse than sickening. I wanted to die, but I can’t die, I have a family and friends, and loved ones who need me.”

He said the couple loved each other “although there are issues in the relationship, if they feel they have got to cut themselves to demonstrate their love for each other.”

The record industry was not as callous as some people thought, he said.

Caring, loving people from the industry had been “crying their eyes out because of their love for Amy”, he said.

“It’s a horrible situation, and our family, and Blake’s family, are living through hell.”