Rehab for Amy after suspected drug overdose

Last updated at 07:42 10 August 2007


Amy Winehouse is on the verge of checking into rehab, a close friend said today.

The 23-year-old singer is "seriously considering" the move after emergency treatment in a London hospital for a suspected overdose.

Despite growing concern at her wild partying, the star had always said she would not seek professional help.

But a friend revealed she's "very close" to changing her mind, adding: "Amy got a massive fright when she was hospitalised and is finally coming round to everybody's pleadings with her to go to rehab.

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Winehouse

Winehouse

"She now realises she may need help as her lifestyle finally take its toll. She's currently discussing the best plan of action with close friends and family."

Amy is resting at an undisclosed location after being released from University College London Hospital.

A spokesman for Island Records said she was suffering "severe exhaustion" but reports suggested she had her stomach pumped yesterday after she collapsed.

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A witness said she was semi-conscious as she was hauled into the hospital's emergency department at 1am by her husband Blake Fielder-Civil and a female friend.

"She was falling over and stumbling around. She didn't look well," said the witness, adding: "Her friends looked really worried about her. The bloke was holding her up because she couldn't really stand.

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Blake Fielder-Civil

"Her girlfriend seemed to be doing all the talking. That's when I realised Amy must be really ill because although there was a big crowd of people in the waiting area she was rushed straight through."

Doctors pumped Winehouse's stomach and administered an adrenaline injection to revive her, according to The Sun.

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Winehouse

Family and friends were at her bedside but she was discharged last night, leaving the building by a back entrance.

The episode, hours after she was nominated for three MTV awards, forced her to pull out of two performances in Norway and Denmark.

They are the latest in a series of cancellations. In a recent interview, she put her habit of not showing up down to being a perfectionist.

However, sources close to the singer say her erratic behaviour is due to her lifestyle.

Winehouse, whose album Back To Black reached No1, has a reputation for hard drinking and has admitted using marijuana and cocaine.

amy winehouse

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