Amy Winehouse is “full of life”

Despite her recent spell in rehab, her husband being in prison, and a shocking video of her smoking what appeared to be a crack pipe emerging online - Amy Winehouse is "full of life", according to her back-up singer Zalon Thompson.

"[Amy's] full of energy, full of life," says Zalon. "It's a good thing."

The 'Rehab' singer - who bagged five Grammy Awards last week, is "ready for the Brits," he says, referring to Winehouse's scheduled performance at the prestigious London ceremony Wednesday.

"I think sometimes it takes you to go through certain hard things to overcome and to go on to do better things," Thompson, 27, says of Winehouse, who is out of rehab but still receiving treatment. "She looked really good at the Grammys. She just looked very rested. It was great."

Amy's success at the Grammys hasn't turned the 24-year-old soul star into a diva. "I was speaking with Kelly Osbourne the other day. And we were saying how she hasn't changed at all," Thompson tells People.com. "She doesn't believe in the same principles that everyone else gets excited about. Get her a guitar and she'll play for 10 people or 300. She doesn't care about the whole fame thing – it's really about the music. She doesn't care about trying to live up to an image."

Zalon also played down rumors Amy has found love in new friend Blake Wood - a pal of Kelly Osbourne's, who Amy has been knocking about with recently. "Blake [Wood] is a friend," he says. "When she [Amy] first introduced him to us, she was like, 'This is Blake.' And everyone in the room started laughing. I was like, 'Why are you telling me this guy is Blake? I know who Blake is.' "

And regarding the teardrop Amy recently painted on her face? "That teardrop she's wearing in makeup on her face – I asked her. It's because her baby's incarcerated. I think she'll wear that until he comes out."

Amy's husband, Blake Fielder-Civil is currently being held in London's Pentonville prison, where he's awaiting trial.

On Zalon's website, Amy says of the back-up singer: "The first time I met Zalon we made love.vocally"

By Owen Williams, Feb 19 2008 © Copyright 2008 - Showbiz Spy