Lucy Mapstone, MSN Celebrity Editor

MSN Interview: Mitch Winehouse

We talk to Mitch Winehouse about his daughter Amy and his brand new show, Mitch Winehouse's Showbiz Rant.

What’s one of your best memories of Amy?
"There are so many. The fantastic night at the Grammys where she won five awards was a great night. And she was such a lovely little girl, and my son was a lovely little boy; I’ve got so many wonderful memories of them from when they were kids. There were times when I’d stand Amy on the table and we’d say: 'Ladies and gentlemen, Amy Winehouse!’ and she’d sing and tap dance."

When did you realise her talent?
"In terms of making it professionally, maybe when she was about 12. But she got into stage school for acting and dancing, not singing. In fact, I remember I went to hear her sing and I said to my wife: 'Thank God she can act, because she can’t sing!' When we saw her that day, she couldn’t sing. But something happened to her along the way."

Do you think she’ll ever go into acting?
"That would be a distinct possibility. She’s a good actress."

Mitch, Amy and Janis Winehouse (Image © Rex)

How much does it affect you to see her life splashed across the tabloids?
"It’s hurtful. There’s no point in denying it, it is hurtful. It’s not her fault. But things are different now than they were a year ago, and even back then a lot of the stories about her were false. One of the stories was that she was running through Hackney with no clothes on. She was living in an apartment complex, and somehow the paps got through the outer gate and went outside her flat, banged on her window at five in the morning and she ran out. I wouldn’t come to the door in my underwear, but she did, and guess what? Flash, flash, flash! The story was that she was running around the streets of Hackney with no clothes on. She only stepped out of her flat, not even out of the complex. It’s a lie, it’s not true… Some journalists just want to write about her being disruptive."

You have a new programme where you drive celebrities around in the back of your cab. How did this come about?
"I’m doing a film with Transparency TV for Channel 4 (for problems with families facing addiction) and because they’re a production company, Living TV approached them to speak to me about doing this show in my cab."

Do you get to choose who you drive around?
No, we’re not sure who we’re having because it’s done on a week-to-week basis. We’ve already had David Hasselhoff. He was great, he was a really nice guy.

What did you and The Hoff talk about?
"We were chatting about Pamela Anderson! We were only meant to be together for 45 minutes but we were together for about two hours. He really loves his two daughters. We’ve got his daughter, my daughter, and we had a really good chat. We had a nice day."

Is he on the Christmas card list?
"Definitely!"

How would you feel if one of your guests was Amy?
"It’d be great! I talk to her every day though, so it would be a bit pointless. We talk about soppy things that families talk about."

What else is going to be happening on this show?
"I think the shows are going to end up with me throwing somebody out of the cab if they’re rude or they put their feet up or if they want to stop and get a kebab or something. Apparently Living have got a list of people they want to throw out the cab."

Did The Hoff get thrown out the cab?
"He’s too big! I couldn’t."

We've heard some rumours that you might be appearing on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here. Is this true?
"I went for the interview, but I don’t even know why. Half of me was hoping I wouldn’t be offered it because I’d have to eat worms and things like that, which I wouldn’t do, and that would make me very unpopular with everyone else because they’d all starve to death! The show starts in November, and nobody has been in touch with me, so I presume I didn’t get it. And I’ve got this new show now!"

Mitch Winehouse's Showbiz Rant is airing now on Liv, the UK's first online TV channel, at www.livingtv.co.uk.

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