LONDON — The father of Grammy Award-winning singer Amy Winehouse says he had an affair that caused emotional stress for his daughter at an early age.
In a new interview with the BBC, 57-year-old Mitch Winehouse reveals that shortly after his daughter's birth in 1983, he became involved with a co-worker named Jane. The affair was an open secret inside the Winehouse home.
"The children used to call Jane 'Daddy's work wife,'" Mitch says on the upcoming BBC special, "One Life: Rock Star Parents," which airs next Tuesday.
When Amy was 10, Mitch left his family for Jane and the two eventually married in 1996.
"It was difficult," he admits. "I should have left earlier."
Following his departure, Mitch says, "there was not really a negative response from Amy, but she definitely became a lot more independent.
"Perhaps deep down she felt her parents were splitting up, she could not rely on them to stay together and that it was about time she learned to look after herself," he adds.
"I thought Amy was over [the affair] pretty quickly — in fact, it felt at the time Amy felt no effect at all. Maybe she could not articulate it in words, but she certainly did it with music."
Mitch says his daughter's song, "What It Is About Men," is specific to his affair.
He has since reconciled with Amy and was on hand for her Feb. 10 Grammy appearance via satellite from London. That night, the British singer thanked her family for their support.
Mitch says he worries about his daughter's drug and alcohol problem, admitting that her usage caused a seizure in August. He says he doubts his affair is behind her ongoing battle with substance abuse.
"It is easy for me to say it is my fault, and that had I been a better parent, this would not have happened," he says. "But who knows whether it would or not?"
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