Amy Winehouse’s ex-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, reflected on their tumultuous romance and her death in a rare interview Tuesday.
He addressed those who “think they’re responsible for Amy’s death” on the latest episode of “We Need to Talk.”
“I will never run away from any responsibility. If I did something, I will take full responsibility,” he added, acknowledging that he had a “role to play” in relation to Winehouse, who died of alcohol poisoning in 2011 at the age of 27.
Fielder-Civil, who has “made peace” with her role, reminded the audience that Winehouse is a “very strong woman” who has “involvement.”
The 43-year-old said: “I’m not disrespecting her in any way by saying that, but Amy did what she wanted to do and she kept going even though the alcohol started to hurt her.”
He admitted introducing heroin to his ex-partner during their on-again, off-again relationship, but revealed she had allegedly been “experimenting” with cocaine with his former partner.
“I just couldn’t understand it. Do these people think I forced Amy to take drugs? That didn’t happen,” he insisted. “I’m not shirking responsibility, but the idea of promoting every day, no, I wasn’t a dealer.”
“I’ve never blamed the person who gave me the first drug. I’ve never tried to put that on anyone. Why would I do that?” said Fielder-Civil, whose brother Freddy Civil died from a heroin overdose in 2021.
“I never came here to say, ‘Amy was bad,'” he added. “But I know that Amy doesn’t want me to be sitting here 20 years from now saying it’s all my fault. She’s going to be like, ‘Get it, baby, come on and tell me the truth.’
Fielder-Civil concluded that they were “just young addicts at the time,” adding, “We weren’t (addicts) to begin with, but we became one after that. And it can happen to anyone.”
He and Winehouse were married from 2007 to 2009 and remained in touch after their divorce while Fielder-Civil served a sentence for robbery and firearms possession.
The former production assistant was worried about his ex while in prison, claiming that if he hadn’t been in prison, he “never in a million years would have made her sit around all day and get her drunk.”
“I had this huge fear, like absolute control fear, that something was going to happen to her and I wouldn’t be able to do anything or help or even be there,” he recalled.
When Fielder-Civil learned that Winehouse had died, he called Winehouse twice and later heard the news from a corrections officer, and the moment was his “worst nightmare.”
“My first thought was…’That’s not true,'” he recalled. My head immediately swam. …Tears came to my eyes. ”
Fielder-Civil is now sober and in a healthy relationship, but was unable to attend the Grammy Award winner’s funeral while in prison.
If you or a loved one is affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call SAMHSA’s national helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
