Amy Winehouse on the brink

Feb 28, 2008, 11:35 GMT

A file photograph showing British soul singer Amy Winehouse arriving for the 2007 Brit Awards. A planned court appearance by British singer Amy Winehouse in the Norwegian west coast city Bergen has been postponed, the Bergens Tidende newspaper reported Wednesday. EPA/DANIEL DEME

Amy Winehouse is on the brink of an emotional breakdown, according to friends.

The troubled singer has allegedly been binging on a cocktail of substances, including cocaine, ecstasy, cannabis and alcohol, to cope with being separated from imprisoned husband Blake Fielder-Civil, and the emotional turmoil in her life.

Pals now fear for Amy's sanity, and are terrified she could seriously harm herself after she deliberately burnt her hand with a lighter last week, while screaming: "My life is a shell of what it was. It's like the whole world is now stillborn."

A source added to Britain's The Sun newspaper: "We were just sat around a table when she held the lighter over her hand and let the flame scar her. Amy has been up and down like she has never been before. One minute she'll be fine, the next she'll be in a heap on the floor screaming she can't go on."

It has also been claimed the 24-year-old star - who left a London rehab clinic earlier this month - got one of her friends to smuggle drugs into the facility on her first night.

A pal explained: "On the first night she begged a friend to take her in some drugs. But after that she did not take anything for a week to 10 days. But the whole thing was just about getting her to the Grammys."

Meanwhile, Amy is at the centre of a TV bidding war.

The 'Back to Black' singer is in the middle of a three-way battle between US chat show host Larry King, Oprah Winfrey and British news legend Sir Trevor McDonald - who wants her for a one-off special.

A source said: "King is leading the race to get an interview with Amy on his show, he's very confident he can beat Oprah."

(C) BANG Media International