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Tearful Kelly Osbourne helps Amy Winehouse move to rehab
Last updated at 15:13pm on 27.01.08Kelly Osbourne wiped away tears last night as she helped her friend Amy Winehouse check into rehab.
The 23-year-old was on hand to support the Back To Black singer as she settled into the Marylebone treatment facility to try and kick her addiction to drugs.
Along with Amy's father Mitch, Kelly arrived laden down with Amy's belongings, which she'd collected for her from her flat in Bow, east London.
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Tears: Kelly, who met with Amy's dad in London last night, has vowed to help the singer get her life back on track; Amy out in London hours before checking into rehab yesterday
She brought two suitcases and two large holdalls, suggesting that Winehouse, 24, might be staying at the centre for quite some time.
A statement from her record company, Universal, said Amy had entered the rehab clinic "to continue her ongoing recovery against drug addiction".
Amy, 24, sought help after her father admitted her family have looked into getting her sectioned under the Mental Health Act.
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Long haul: Kelly lends a hand to the family by ferrying Amy's suitcases
She has been at the centre of a police inquiry after being caught on video last week, apparently inhaling from a crack pipe.
"Amy decided to enter the facility today after talks with her record label, management, family and doctors," Universal Music Group said in a statement.
"She has come to understand that she requires specialist treatment to continue her ongoing recovery from drug addiction," the statement said.
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Support: Kelly Osbourne with Amy's dad Mitch last night
She has subsequently cancelled her appearance at a French awards ceremony this Saturday and it is said her decision comes in a bid to prepare herself for the upcoming Grammys.
Winehouse was spotted in London's Regents Park today wearing a fitted black shirt, and matching miniskirt, exposing her painfully thin legs.
In an interview with Vanessa Feltz on BBC London father Mitch complained the authorities don't regard her drug-taking as a danger to herself.
But, he said, they needed her to agree to treatment. The family were helpless to intervene without her consent because the authorities don't see her drug addiction as harmful.
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Helping hand: Amy Winehouse is escorted by her father Mitch as she leaves Universal Records in London's Kensington yesterday. The label reportedly told Amy to clean up if she wants to save her career
"The moment she says she wants to be in a facility, in half an hour she will be in a facility," said her father, Mitch, 57.
He said psychiatric help was "something we have looked at, and Amy is no way near in a position to be sectioned".
He added: "But unless she wants to do it of her own accord, it's pointless. You can't lock the key and say 'you can't come out before you're better'. That's called abduction."
Mr Winehouse described the pictures from the drugs video as "horrible", adding: "Her intake had been much reduced, but there are people around her which I have no control of. I can't physically remove them. She doesn't think she's got a problem. She thinks she can do what she does recreationally and get on with her life."
Mr Winehouse called a family meeting last night to discuss keeping a close eye on Amy to try to save her from self destruction.
And it appears he may have hired a fearsome looking balaclava-clad bodyguard to assist him in his efforts.
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Frantic: Amy's distraught father has continued his efforts to keep her off drugs
The powerfully-built man was seen earlier yesterday in the courtyard of Amy's east London gated apartment building dressed in black clothing and army fatigues.
Amy appeared in the background, dressed in a blue minidress as he patrolled the courtyard's perimeter.
And chillingly, he made a shooting gesture at the army of photographers who follow her every move.
On Tuesday Mitch took Amy to the Capio Nightingale Hospital, a drugs clinic in Marylebone, for a two-hour appointment in an attempt to get her to clean up her act.
Police are viewing the video footage of Amy apparently smoking crack.
The troubled stars' frantic parents have been forced to intervene following the latest revelations of the depth of Amy's drug-taking.
Her desperate father Mitch who has been driven to the end of his tether has taken matters into his own hands because he is terrified her continued drug use could kill her.
The former taxi driver has demanded that his 24 year-old daughter move home with him to keep her away from the influence of her junkie friends.
A friend of the family said: "As any father would be, Mitch is terribly concerned about Amy's latest brush with drugs.
"She has been making good progress up until this setback but for Mitch it's the last straw - if she doesn't sort herself out and get her head straight, who knows where it will end.
"Mitch is terrified about the people she associates with and thinks that by taking these low-lifes out of the equation, Amy will face less temptation.
"He's asked her to come and live with him until she's back on the straight and narrow - or ideally, until Blake comes out of custody.
"If Mitch is by her side almost 24/7 he can monitor exactly who she hangs out with and where she does it.
"Amy may be 24 but as far as Mitch is concerned, she is never too old for a good dose of family TLC."
The 19-minute video released on Tuesday showed the dishevelled singer seen snorting powdered ecstasy and cocaine before heading to her bedroom, where she inhaled crack cocaine in front of her wedding photo.
Taken in the early hours of Friday morning it showed Miss Winehouse taking drugs just hours before appearing in court to support her husband Blake Fielder Civil who appeared on charges connected with a violent bar brawl.
Police are investigating the footage before deciding whether to press charges.
A spokesman for Scotland Yard said: "Officers will be viewing the footage when we receive it. "We will then assess the footage to ascertain whether any action needs to be taken."
Aside from taking a toll on her health the drug-taking revelations could ruin Miss Winehouse's successful career.
It has been reported that her record company Island Records will consider dropping plans to promote her in the US because of the latest scandal.
There was a question over whether the US authorities will grant her a visa to go to the Grammy awards next month.
Miss Winehouse's family are hoping they will succeed where professional intervention has failed.
Miss Winehouse has made three brief and unsuccessful visits to rehab in the past year.
She made the first visit to the Causeway Clinic in Essex in August 2007 with husband Blake Fielder Civil but the pair discharged themselves after a few days.
She then checked in just weeks later after publicly overdosing on a cocktail of drink and drugs.
She spent two days at the same addiction centre - which costs £10,000 a week - before storming out and vowing never to return.
In November last year Winehouse pulled out of a concert in Bournemouth, after stumbling and slurring her words on stage, and promised to seek help for drug addiction after being jeered off stage by fans.
She was seen by doctors at the London Clinic in Harley Street before being admitted back into the Causeway Clinic.
Amy has moved in with her father Mitch Winehouse and left the North London home she shared with husband Blake Fielder Civil - the scene of the infamous crack-smoking video.
Reader views (7)
It's a real shame that such a talent is probably on the way to self destruction. Look at people like Marlene Shaw (sang California Soul). She is still as messed up on heroin now as she was 30 years ago. I hope that rehab can help Amy but some people can really never curb their addiction so let's hope she proves us wrong. There are other people, however, who never quite gave it up. Maybe Amy will do the same as I don't think she is ready to give up yet. Maybe she never will be. Unless she gets caught again we're all supposed to be stupid enough think she's clean and cured within a week or two. There must be loads of stars out there who are addicts-they just haven't been caught out yet!
- Lou, Portsmouth
I'm glad the woman is in rehab and is paying for it out of her own pocket! I will never understand why people get involved in drugs as we all know the consequences but it's a sad fact that too many people young and old are involved or addicted to drugs. I think it says a lot about the society we live in.
- Chel, London
As a reformed heavy drug user/addict I can completely sympathise with this lady. I never missed a day's work through my habit but crack, MDMA, ketamine etc were a major part of my life on an almost daily basis for many years. I always wanted to stop, always knew it was pathetic but couldn't find the strength. I was lucky, during a clean month I fell pregnant and have never touched anything again since that day. The support of family is crucial as is the even harder part of recovery - changing one's social circle. Go back to your friends drop the drug associates, they are not friends. Find a new focus and realise how lucky you are to still be here. Those of you who comment without ever having been in this situation lack an enormous part of your soul, compassion.
- Steph, Ilford
At least she's got the money to go into the most trendy rehab. There are kids out there who don't know where to go. Doctors give a referral for therapy only after the addiction to drugs is no longer there.
I think Amy's problem should be taken more seriously, as it should be for all the people that are playing role models and are constantly exposed. Sometimes the media makes it look almost glamorous.
- Alice, London
The comments above are moronic. Drugs that kill are not only the hard ones being publicised at the moment, but also include tobacco and alcohol - far bigger killers than crack cocaine. And what would you know about mental health Sarah? I suppose you've read a few articles in The Daily Mirror about it. Family and friends' support are key with the rehabilitation after or during drug abuse or mental health issues - the media need to leave this girl alone for a bit so she can stop attempting to escape the circus created around her by taking more and more drugs.
- Ruby, London
Why not just let junkies overdose and kill themselves? They are a waste of time and space and a massive drain on the economy. At least most people who either drink or smoke can live without them for a week.
- Peter Sparkling, London, UK
People with mental health issues can be sectioned under the Mental Health Act. Perhaps it's time to have a similar system in place for drug rehabilitation.
- Sarah W, London
