Winehouse 'to stop gigs in September'

Amy Winehouse is planning to take a long break from performing to tackle her illness and drug problem, according to her father.

Mitch Winehouse said she would play gigs she had arranged over the summer but then stop "for the foreseeable future".

"Amy has five gigs that she is contractually obliged to do between now and then, but from September we’re not going to be doing any more work," he said. "We want her to relax."

Mitch also warned that anyone giving drugs to his daughter risked causing her serious damage. "My biggest fear is she will die - and she won’t die from an overdose, she will die from emphysema," he said.

"We would be talking about a very slow and painful death, gasping for air. I would like to say to anybody who would supply her with substances to think about that."