Whitney’s flight of fancy... I wanna sail with somebody

SINGER Whitney Houston was forced to ditch the trappings of stardom in favour of a car ferry across the Irish Sea to perform in Dublin.

The 46-year-old star, who is in the middle of her Nothing But Love world tour, said she opted for the boat after no-fly orders shut down airports across Ireland and Britain.

The singer, who has been getting bad press as well as criticism from fans over the quality of her performances lately, was due to play the first of three nights at The O2 in Dublin tonight.

“When Whitney was made aware of the airport closures due to the volcanic ash, she made the decision to drive from Birmingham to Dublin via the ferry so that she would not disappoint her Irish fans,” promoters said.

Ferry firm Stenaline said it received a booking for Houston’s entourage on the Nordica superferry into Dublin Port. The trip takes about three hours 15 minutes.

A Stena spokeswoman said she was unaware of any special treatment requested for the star but added Ms Houston had the option of upgrading to the Plus lounge or visiting the relaxation area, observation deck, cinema, restaurant or onboard shopping.

It is understood she left Birmingham, where the European leg of the tour began this week, travelling by car to Holyhead in North Wales.

The singer, who is also playing Dublin on Sunday and Tuesday, urged her record company to publicise her travel arrangements to ease concerns among fans that the shows may be cancelled. She was forced to postpone three concerts at the start of the tour’s British leg after being diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection by doctors in Paris last week.