The parents and friends of Amy Winehouse have spoken about how they tried all they could to stop her fall into drugs and alcohol addiction but there was nothing they could do

Amy Winehouse’s parents and closest friends say they were powerless to stop the singer’s self-destruction when she turned from drugs to booze.

Dad Mitch says the family staged multiple interventions, but adds: “You couldn’t tell her to do or not do something. If she was going to do it, she’d do it.

Friend and stylist Naomi Parry says: “She was the queen bee. She looked like you could put her over your shoulder and take her somewhere but it would be like picking up a feral cat. It’s going to scratch your eyes out.”

Amy Winehouse battled addictions with alcohol and drugs(Image: Getty Images)

We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. More info

Mum Janis, who was already suffering multiple sclerosis, tells BBC2 film Reclaiming Amy: “I couldn’t help her. I wasn’t able to physically deal with things.”

It was Amy who decided to stop taking drugs. But Naomi says: “She switched one addiction for another. [It] was a by-product of something else much deeper that needed addressing – and that was mental health issues.”

Amy Winehouse’s close friend and former flatmate Catriona Gourlay(Image: Getty Images)

Amy, 27, died on July 23, 2011, after a booze bender.

Pal Catriona Gourlay reveals they were lovers. She adds: “What I took from it…was that she was confused about what it made her.”