Entertainment

Amy Winehouse’s ex-husband shares his thoughts on new Back To Black biopic

The new biopic Back To Black charts Winehouse’s rise to stardom, her marriage to Fielder-Civil and her battle with addiction.

Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse (Niall Carson/PA)
By Naomi Clarke, PA Senior Entertainment Reporter

Amy Winehouse’s ex-husband has said he “wouldn’t mind having a conversation” with the late singer’s father Mitch Winehouse after watching the newly released biopic on the star’s life.

Blake Fielder-Civil was married to Winehouse for two years between 2007 and 2009, and was in prison when the singer died aged 27 from alcohol poisoning in July 2011.

The 41-year-old and Back To Black singer Winehouse both battled substance abuse issues during their marriage and were frequently photographed in a state of disarray.

The new biopic Back To Black charts Winehouse’s rise to stardom, battle with addiction and her family’s disapproval of her relationship with Fielder-Civil.

Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on the day of the film’s release, Fielder-Civil said: “I think Mitch seeing the film… there may be aspects he thinks ‘Oh maybe I shouldn’t have done this’.

“His regrets like I have mine, not as profound as mine, I shouldn’t wonder.

“I think one thing that comes from the film is Amy was a peacemaker and I thought, watching the film yesterday, she probably would want me and Mitch to… we don’t need to be best friends, but I wouldn’t mind having a conversation.”

The singer’s ex-husband, who has not spoken to Mitch Winehouse in many years, added: “As hard as it may be, Mitch is a father, I’m a father, I understand his position on me, I really do.

“But I hope that he would see that that there was genuinely love there and I loved Amy very, very much, and she loved me too.

“And if there was anything that I could do to bring her back, I would obviously.”

The late Rehab singer is played by Industry star Marisa Abela in the film, directed by 50 Shades Of Grey filmmaker Sam Taylor-Johnson.

Jack O’Connell portrays Fielder-Civil and Eddie Marsan plays Mitch Winehouse.

Fielder-Civil also reflected on if he feels he could have done more for Winehouse before her death, saying: “I’ve done nothing but tried to take responsibility for quite a long time.

“It’s been a cross to bear… it’s impacted on many, many things in my life throughout the years.

“I have death threats, online and social media still. Amy inspires a lot of fierce fandom and devotion. I do feel… but I don’t feel blame.”

GMB host Kate Garraway asked whether he would change introducing his former partner to heroin, to which he said: “I sense the idea of heroin, obviously it’s a horrible, terrible drug. I’ve been clean for years myself, but I was in addiction as well.

“It’s not as black and white as that. I was a very young person. I thought I had all the answers. Yeah, of course, not to be trite about it, but of course I regret any drugs.

“If I would have known how it was going to develop, I would have been far more careful about the things that I was doing, the people I was doing it with. I had no one looking out for me either.”

Fielder-Civil also revealed that watching the film about his life was a “surreal experience” but that he found it to be “almost therapeutic”.

“There was some parts of it that enabled me to feel like I was seeing a more accurate representation of the relationship,” he explained.

“Not in a sense of being let off the hook or whitewashed, as alluded to in the comments people have made, just in a sense of it wasn’t all about addiction.

“As much as that might have been the salacious headlines and the paparazzi’s goal, there was addiction, but it was only an aspect.

“The relationship started like every relationship does.”

Back To Back is available in cinemas now.