PETE Doherty has revealed what it was like dating Amy Winehouse and how he saw drugs “drive her to the brink of madness”.
The former Libertines frontman has admitted he still has feelings for the Back to Black star who tragically died in July 2011.
Doherty, 44, told the Mail on Sunday: “This is difficult for me to admit.
“But, yes, it’s true. Amy and I were lovers. I loved her then and, well, I still do today.
“But towards the end, as only lovers can, she became quite mean and cruel to me. She didn’t suffer fools.”
The Babyshambles star also revealed he had concerns about Amy’s health in the run up to her death from alcohol poisoning when she was just 27.
He said: “She had such a big heart but she was physically small and increasingly frail and I never once saw her eat anything solid, just milkshakes.”
Doherty added: “Well, we did lose her. There but for the grace of God go I, is what I say.”
He revealed that she had gone back to his hotel after the Libertines reunion warm-up gig at the Forum in Kentish Town, North London, in August 2010.
She had two large bouncers looking after her but Doherty told her to leave them outside – and Amy told him she couldn’t.
When she left though she was trailed by the paparazzi.
He said that Amy couldn’t leave her home without a bunch of cameras being shoved in her face.
‘THE BRINK OF MADNESS’
Doherty said if you add drugs into the mix then that situation would “drive anyone to the brink of madness.”
He also penned a song for Amy called Flags from the Old Regime which was released as a single in March 2015.
Doherty said he had “never done a song like it” before and described it as “very slow and melodic”.
All proceeds were given to the Amy Winehouse Foundation, which aims to give young people a better understanding of drug and alcohol misuse.
He added that he had lots of “lovely” video footage of the pair of them together, but said he hadn’t been able to watch it yet.
NEW LIFE IN FRANCE
The notorious rocker has now been living in France for the past two years and for the former boyfriend of model Kate Moss, moving across the Channel seems to have given him a new lease of life.
He married Katia de Vidas in 2021 and has now turned his hand to acting.
Doherty features alongside model Lily Cole and Charlotte Gainsbourg in a French arthouse film called Confession D’Un Enfant Du Siecle, or Confessions of a Child of the Century.
For a time Doherty was rarely out of the papers as the troubled rock star’s life seem to spiral out of control due to drugs, court appearances and widely-reported bust-ups with Moss.
DRUGS
At the height of his notoriety, he was repeatedly arrested for drug offences, pleaded guilty to possession of crack cocaine and heroin and spent time in jail and rehab for his addictions.
Doherty met the supermodel at her 31st birthday bash in January 2005, and soon afterwards declared that he had “really found love.”
In September that year, photos and footage of Kate Moss preparing cocaine emerged, leading to her being dropped by fashion houses, Burberry and H&M.
During a brief split, Pete scrawled “I love Kate 4 eva” on the windscreen of his Jaguar after leaving court on yet another drug-related offence.
They reunited, attended rehab together, rowed in public, got engaged and finally split in July 2007, all very much in public view.
At one point, Pete called her a “nasty old rag” in an interview and said their relationship was like “the Vietnam war.”
It was during one of their splits and despite what he said, he added: “I love her with all my heart. I like the way she walks and talks. I love her bones. I love her brains.”
Nowadays, Doherty has settled down with Katia and the French lifestyle seems to agree with him.
A source close to the star said: “He used to live a fast-paced, hedonistic lifestyle. He was the epitome of rock and roll. But the relaxed pace of life suits him more.”
The source added: “They spend lots of time cooking and walking the dog. It’s a very genteel lifestyle in comparison to the way he used to live.
“Pete is in a good headspace at the moment and life is really positive for him.”
In 2006, Mark Blanco plunged to his death from a balcony outside a party attended by Doherty.
Sheila Blanco – Mark’s mum – revealed she thought there were flaws with the investigation into her son’s death which convinced her there had been a cover-up.
Now, 17 years after she promised her dying son she would find out what happened that night, Sheila is still fighting for the truth.
In a new Channel 4 documentary, Pete Doherty, Who Killed My Son? the heartbroken mother claims Met Police bungled the initial investigation into Mark’s suspicious death, missed key evidence and lied about watching CCTV video.
The teacher from Guildford also says footage shows “callous” Doherty and his minder Johnny ‘Headlock’ Jeannevol “stepping over” Mark and running from the scene minutes after he fell.
