Amy Winehouse's Ex Reveals Surprising Friendship with David Schwimmer
Blake Fielder-Civil, the former husband of the late singer Amy Winehouse, has disclosed a surprising and close friendship with Hollywood actor David Schwimmer. In his first extensive interview since Winehouse's death in 2011, Blake, now 43, shared insights into this unexpected bond that began in 2007.
An Unlikely Connection
Blake revealed that he and Schwimmer, 59, became friends after meeting at one of Winehouse's early pub performances in Camden, North London. Speaking on Paul C Brunson's We Need To Talk podcast, Blake described Schwimmer as "a genuine Amy fan" who attended her show before she rose to fame on larger stages.
"He came to see Amy in a small pub, this was before she was doing big stages so he was right on it from the start," Blake recalled. "He was in Camden with his girlfriend at the time and he was so clearly a fan of the music and so happy and the whole time I was like, this is Ross from Friends."
The friendship blossomed quickly, with the pair exchanging texts regularly and even using nicknames for each other. "It was so chill and so cool, we used to text each other all the time and we had nicknames for each other, we were mates. Yeah, we were mates," Blake added.
Documented Encounter
This meeting was documented at the time by The Daily Mail, which reported on Winehouse's April 2007 performance at the Dublin Castle pub in Camden. The article noted that Schwimmer, wearing a baseball cap, pushed through the crowd to gain entrance.
Years later, Schwimmer's then-wife Zoë Buckman shared a selfie on social media featuring the couple with Winehouse and Blake, captioning it with a heartfelt message about cherishing memories.
Addressing Responsibility for Winehouse's Death
Elsewhere in the podcast, Blake addressed the widespread belief that he was responsible for Winehouse's descent into addiction and her untimely death at age 27. While married to Winehouse from 2007 to 2009, Blake has previously admitted to introducing her to heroin for the first time.
"My stance now is that I know a lot of people, especially people reading media twenty years ago would have an idea that Amy's passing is my responsibility," he said. "As I've always said - I never shirk from any responsibility. If I've done something, I'll put my hand up to it, but I'm okay. I'm not okay but I've made my peace with... yeah, I had a part to play."
Blake insisted that Winehouse had already experimented with drugs, specifically cocaine, before they met, and that he did not encourage her heroin use. "Amy had started trying cocaine with their ex-partner," he claimed. "The heroin was something as I said that I tried, let's say ten times, smoked it over a period of six months with some friends. That's where I was at with that. But yeah, the first time she did it was with me and it was probably my sixth time."
Tragic Final Days and Aftermath
Blake revealed that he and Winehouse had spoken just days before her death and were discussing the possibility of reconciling. At the time, Blake was serving a 32-month prison sentence for domestic burglary and firearm offenses at HMP Leeds when he was informed of her passing.
"The week Amy passed, I was in jail, unfortunately. We were still very much talking about the possibility of reconciling again," he recalled. "So I would say the definitive moment I realised that wasn’t gonna happen was when I got told that she'd passed away."
He described the moment as his "worst nightmare", initially hoping it was a hoax. After seeing confirmation on a BBC link, he broke down in his cell, comforted only by a cellmate he had known for a few weeks.
Legacy and Reflection
Blake emphasized that Winehouse had agency in her actions, particularly regarding her alcohol consumption, which ultimately led to her death from alcohol poisoning. "Amy herself had agency, and that is in no way at all disrespecting her by saying that, but Amy did what she wanted to do and even knowing the drinking had started to hurt her, she carried on," he said.
Despite the tragedy, Blake believes they would have remained in each other's lives if she had lived. "However, I have no qualms about saying that, that we would still be in each other's lives now," he reflected.
The full interview is available on the latest installment of Paul C Brunson's We Need To Talk podcast on YouTube, offering a rare glimpse into Blake's perspective on his relationship with Winehouse and his unexpected friendship with David Schwimmer.
