With her husband behind bars and her career in crisis, you would think Amy Winehouse would want to keep her nose clean.

But as she left her latest gig, the troubled singer seemed to have other ideas.

As she walked out to greet waiting fans, the 24-year-old had a suspicious white substance lodged in her nostril.

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A suspicious trace of white powder up Amy Winehouse's nose

The singer, who has previously admitted to a heroin addiction and once collapsed after a drugs overdose, seemed oblivious to it.

But she provoked concern at the gig after she arrived 40 minutes late on stage, rambled incoherently and disappeared off-stage repeatedly.

One concert-goer said: "She was drinking on stage but disappeared about three times for up to five minutes each time.

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Help: Amy has looked increasingly troubled since her husband Blake Fielder was locked up

"She started rambling more as the gig went on and made less and less sense the longer she was on stage.

"She said she was going to introduce her band then walked off stage, so they had to do it themselves.

"She made a couple of false starts at the beginning of songs."

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Show must go on: Amy performed in Blackpool as part of her UK tour

Miss Winehouse told the audience at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool that she dearly loved her husband Blake Fielder-Civil - the 25-year-old was remanded in custody a fortnight ago accused of perverting the course of justice and causing grievous bodily harm.

Miss Winehouse said she had missed his prison phone call that night and added: "He would have loved to have been here. I spoke to him last night but I can only call either before or after EastEnders."

Her erratic behaviour continued as she leapt off stage to hug a teenager in the audience with a copycat beehive.

Later she took the girl, named Lucy, backstage for a makeover and gave her her earrings.

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Hair pair: The singer with her behived fan Lucy

As she left the concert Miss Winehouse seemed in high spirits - in contrast to her opening night in Birmingham last week.

Miss Winehouse's mother Janis, 52, said she was glad Fielder-Civil was behind bars because it would give her daughter a chance to be weaned off drugs.

She told First magazine: "Thank God he's gone inside. I was more worried when they were together."

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Morning after: Amy looked rather cranky as she left her London home today

But despite her many critics it emerged last night that Winehouse has at least one ally in her battle against drugs: Pete Doherty.

The Babyshambles frontman, 28, who has hit the rocks with his addiction many times more, said he and the soul singer were helping each other.

Doherty said: "I speak to Amy almost every day. She just wants her man back for Christmas. They are desperately in love.

"One good thing is that Blake has got clean since he has been in prison. It's been quite an awakening.

"They are going to lose each other if it carries on. Love, music and melody is the way forward."

Visitor: the singer was on her way to visit her husband Blake in jail