Strictly speaking my godmother Amy's the star! Dionne, 13, outshines her troubled mentor
on 12th October 2009
When you're an aspiring young pop star you can do with all the guidance you can get. Whether having Amy Winehouse as a mentor and godmother is the sort of help you need is open to question - unless of course you're looking for an example in how not to do it. But, whatever the cynics might say, the relatively unknown Dionne Bromfield proved herself to be a sensation when she appeared on TV with her troubled godmother at the weekend.
Enlarge
That's my girl: Amy Winehouse gives her goddaughter Dionne Bromfield a hug after her performance on Strictly Come Dancing on Saturday night
In fact, Winehouse ended up being outshone by the 13-year-old during their spot on Strictly Come Dancing when she appeared as a backing dancer for the youngster.
While Winehouse gave a somewhat unpolished performance, it was Bromfield who stunned the audience with a note perfect rendition of 1960s hit Mama Said.
Note perfect: The 13-year-old wowed the audience with her rendition
Her assured rendition served to highlight just how much her drink and drugs plagued godmother had deteriorated in recent years.
Her famously turbulent private life, which has included spells in rehab and a failed marriage since her rise to fame, made her a surprise choice for the family show.
BBC bosses have spent months trying to sign her up and she agreed to so long as she was allowed to perform with her protege.
As well as mentoring her for the past three years, the star even paid for her to visit a vocal coach in the U.S. recently. She has also signed Dionne to her own record label, Lioness Records.
She has tipped the youngster to be a huge success and has allowed her to sing on stage with her at several of her own shows in the past.
Dionne currently lives in Chislehurst, Kent, with her mother who realised at an early age that she was a talented singer and asked Winehouse to listen to her.
The star was so impressed she offered to help the youngster to become a professional singer.
Although she is still at school, she has repeatedly been seen accompanying Winehouse around London at parties.
The huge amount of publicity she received from performing on Saturday will be apparent today.
The youngster is launching her own album, Introducing Dionne Bromfield and she is braced for huge sales.
Thankfully for her, Winehouse's performance was a far cry from the shambolic stage appearances she has made in the past.
At the height of her troubles she resorted to abusing audiences, slurring her way through songs and even failing to turn up.
But apart from a few mistimed dance moves Winehouse managed to give a coherent performance.
Bonding backstage: Amy and Dionne with Bruce Forsyth
It went so well that the pair ended up embracing after the song.
Before a spell in rehab last year, Amy said of her god- daughter: 'When I look at Dionne she reminds me of myself. Look where I am now. I'm a mess. But this girl has everything ahead of her.'
dailymail