“Do these people think that I forced Amy to do drugs? That’s just not what happened,” the

Amy Winehouse’s ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil denies full responsibility for her death: ‘I wasn’t the dealer’

"Do these people think that I forced Amy to do drugs? That’s just not what happened," the

By Shania Russell

Shania Russell

Shania Russell is a news writer at *, *with five years of experience. Her work has previously appeared in SlashFilm and Paste Magazine.

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March 18, 2026 6:10 p.m. ET

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Amy Winehouse and Blake Fielder-Civil in 2007. Credit:

Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage

Amy Winehouse's ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil is addressing those who blame him for the singer's untimely death at 27.

In the 15 years since Winehouse's death, Fielder-Civil has often been cast as the villain in her tragic life story. The singer's own father, Mitch Winehouse, has publicly stated that he believes Fielder-Civil was the cause of her drug addiction. Though he has largely stayed out of the spotlight since her passing, Fielder-Civil spoke out in a rare interview published on Tuesday, which saw him revisit the couple's tumultuous relationship and deny that he should hold full responsibility for the events leading to Winehouse's death.

"My stance now is that I know a lot of people, especially people reading media 20 years ago, would have an idea that Amy’s passing is my responsibility," he said on the *We Need to Talk* podcast. "As I’ve always said, I never shirk from any responsibility. If I’ve done something, I’ll put my hand up to it."

He explained that while he and Winehouse both struggled with addiction and drug use during their marriage, the singer also had "experience [with] drugs" that had "nothing to do with" him.

Amy Winehouse and Blake Fielder-Civil in 2007.

Jon Furniss/WireImage

“Amy herself had agency. And that is in no way at all disrespecting her by saying that, but Amy did what she wanted to do," he continued. "And even though the drinking had started to hurt her, she carried on… She’s actually a very strong woman."

Fielder-Civil added that he has "made peace" with the idea that he "had a part to play" in her death, but still believes it's inaccurate to place blame entirely on him.

"I never blamed a person that gave me drugs for the first time. I’ve never tried to put that on anyone. Why would I? I never understood, do these people think that I forced Amy to do drugs? That’s just not what happened,” he insisted. "I'm not shirking responsibility, but this idea of daily facilitating — no. I wasn’t the dealer."

Amy Winehouse through the years

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Winehouse and Fielder-Civil were married from 2007 to 2009. Their on-again, off-again relationship inspired her breakthrough 2006 album *Back to Black*. Two years after their split, Winehouse died from accidental alcohol poisoning in July 2011. At the time, Fielder-Civil was serving a 32-month prison sentence after being convicted of burglary and possession of an imitation firearm charges the prior month.

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Despite their breakup, Fielder-Civil said that he and Winehouse were in constant contact during his prison stay, communicating via letters, phone calls and visits.

"We were still very much talking about the possibility of reconciling again," he added. "The definitive moment I realized that wasn’t going to happen was when I got told that she passed away."

On the day of Winehouse's death, Fielder-Civil tried to call her twice. Eventually, prison officers came by his cell to inform him of the news that the rest of the world had already learned.

Amy Winehouse in 2008.

Jim Dyson/Getty

"[They] took me down to an office, told me, and showed me a news headline, 'cause I said, ‘It’ll be a hoax.’ Just straight away, said, 'Oh, it’s not true. Don’t worry,'" Fielder-Civil recalled. "My cellmate at the time was a really solid guy. He’d seen it on the news, and gave me a hug. I burst into tears, he started crying too."

He continued, "It’s strange: I got held up, as in supported, by somebody I’d known for a matter of weeks. That was the only comfort I had at that moment for losing a massive, huge part of my life."

Fielder-Civil, who is now sober, said he was unable to attend the Grammy-winner’s funeral as he finished out his sentence.

“These are memories which are hard for me to revisit. It’s hard for me, ‘cause she’s not here still," he said. "That was my best mate, and we were happy. And the drugs was a side of it, eventually. [But] our love had nothing to do with addiction, and addiction had nothing to do with our love."

Fielder-Civil noted that he is now in a happy relationship, but has no doubt that were Winehouse alive, they would "still be in each other’s lives now."

He added, "The divorce wasn’t the end, the arguments weren’t the end.… None of that was strong enough to pull us apart. It was only her and I saying, 'Nobody understands this but us.'"

Watch the full interview with Fielder-Civil above.

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