A Valentine's card written by Amy Winehouse to her then-husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, during his prison sentence has sold for £4,940 at auction. The card, sent in February 2009, was addressed to Fielder-Civil at HMP Edmund's Hill, now Highpoint North, in Suffolk, where he was serving time for an assault.
The "Rehab" singer penned the note amidst a tumultuous period in their marriage, which had begun in 2007. Winehouse was on holiday in Saint Lucia and had recently experienced a fling with actor Josh Bowman, which prompted Fielder-Civil to initiate divorce proceedings from jail. The auctioneers at Ewbank's had estimated the card would sell for between £2,000 and £4,000.
The card, presented in a frame with a photograph of Winehouse, read: "My husband, my Blake. Virtue is violent, and violets are blue. Blue - bruised is my heart since its beatings' for you. I love you handsome, your Valentine 4 years strong. Your Amy". It was adorned with love hearts and signed with a kiss.
Fielder-Civil, who was jailed in July 2008 for an attack on a former pub landlord, was released in November 2008 on the condition he attend rehab, a cost reportedly covered by Winehouse. He returned to prison a month later for breaching his bail conditions.
Fielder-Civil met Winehouse in 2005 and is credited with introducing her to heroin, a fact he later regretted. In a 2013 interview, he stated, "I don't think she would have ever experienced it without me." Their relationship served as inspiration for much of Winehouse's music, including her seminal album "Back to Black."
The divorce from Fielder-Civil was finalized in July 2009, with him reportedly receiving a £250,000 settlement. Winehouse died in July 2011 at the age of 27 due to alcohol poisoning.
The couple's turbulent relationship was recently depicted in the 2024 biographical film "Back To Black."