Blake Fielder-Civil Addresses Legacy and Agency in New Interview Regarding Amy Winehouse

In a rare 2026 interview, Blake Fielder-Civil discusses his marriage to Amy Winehouse, their shared struggles with addiction, and his journey toward sobriety.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 18, 2026, 6:04 AM EDT

Source: People

Navigating Accountability and Public Perception

For over a decade, Fielder-Civil has often been depicted as a primary catalyst for the challenges Winehouse faced. In the new interview, he stated that while he does not "shirk from any responsibility," he believes the narrative of him being a "daily facilitator" is an oversimplification. He noted that Winehouse was a "strong woman" who made her own choices, even as her health began to decline. Fielder-Civil clarified that while he was the one to introduce her to heroin, the pair became addicts together, and he was incarcerated during the periods when her addiction was reportedly at its most severe.

A Relationship Defined by More Than Addiction

Fielder-Civil recalled meeting Winehouse in a London pub in 2001, describing her as his "best mate." He pushed back against the idea that their marriage was solely defined by substance abuse, asserting that their love and their addiction were distinct entities. The on-again, off-again nature of their early 2000s romance famously served as the primary inspiration for Winehouse’s 2006 masterpiece Back to Black. He reflected on their 2007 marriage in Miami as a period of genuine happiness that was eventually overshadowed by the escalating "side" of drug use.

The Final Months and Incarceration

The interview touched on the painful period leading up to Winehouse’s death from accidental alcohol poisoning. At the time, Fielder-Civil was behind bars and recalled a constant, "absolute control fear" that something would happen to her while he was unable to intervene. He revealed that the two spoke regularly during his sentence and that he had grown increasingly alarmed by reports of her health. Because of his incarceration, he was unable to attend her funeral, a fact he said made the subsequent years of being "ostracized" in the press particularly difficult to navigate while in mourning.