Amy Winehouse set for TV comeback

Singer Amy Winehouse, who is said finally to have kicked her drugs habit, is making a surprising comeback: as a backing singer on Strictly Come Dancing. The beehive-sporting, tattooed singer has agreed to sing back-up for her 13-year-old goddaughter Dionne Bromfield during a performance on the BBC reality TV show.

Whether Winehouse, who is apparently still drinking, will be together enough to make the appearance in late September is anyone’s guess. But, she is said to have quit drugs and to be devoted enough to do anything for Bromfield.

Winehouse has barely performed in almost a year, but made a shaky return to the stage in St Lucia, where she had been living for several months in an attempt to get clean and evade the attention of the media. At a jazz festival there in May she appeared unsteady on her feet and had trouble remembering lyrics. Apologising to the crowd for being "bored", she ended her set half-way through a song.

Dionne Bromfield is Winehouse's first signing to her own, brand-new record label, Lioness Records. She rose to fame when a video clip appeared on YouTube showing her singing at the age of 12 in Pete Doherty's house, accompanied on guitar by her godmother. Winehouse said: "Dionne really is special. She’s better than I was at her age."

TV talent shows have taken to featuring bigger-name acts in attempts to outdo each other. Strictly’s ITV rival, X-Factor, has featured performances by Robbie Williams and Madonna. An unidentified source told a tabloid newspaper that: "Everybody's extremely nervous about the appearance but the team are confident Amy could make it work and really do some good for Dionne. She’s promised to not mess it up on the night." ·