Winehouse's best friend to appear on BBC's 'The Voice'

Amy Winehouse's best friend will audition on the BBC's 'The Voice' tonight.

Singer/songwriter Tyler James reveals how the late star's tragic death last July, aged 27, has inspired him to return to making music, and he is now bidding to become a pop star with the help of the BBC One talent show.

He said: "We were like two peas in a pod — we were like two halves of the same person. Now she’s here with me, I know that, but it’s about me finding my own feet. And the only way I’m ever going to find that is through music, through singing.”

The 30-year-old hopeful – who trained at the Sylvia Young stage school in north London with the 'Rehab' hitmaker - is credited as playing a part in Amy's rise to fame after sending a demo tape of her songs to Simon Fuller’s 19 Management in 2001, and the company went on to release her 'Frank' and 'Back to Black' albums.

But Tyler – who first became friends with Amy when he was 13 – admits it was the "worst day" of his life when he found out the late singer had passed away and his life will never be the same again.

He added: "Last summer it was the worst day of my life. Amy died and my whole life changed."