A decade on, Amy Winehouse's goddaughter remembers her beloved mentor

Dionne Bromfield was just 15 when her godmother Amy Winehouse died. Photo / Getty Images

Amy Winehouse's goddaughter spent years blocking out her memories of the singer.

Dionne Bromfield was just 15 when the "Back to Black" hitmaker died of alcohol poisoning at the age of 27 in July 2011, but as the 10th anniversary of her tragic death approached, the singer knew she needed to "offload" her emotions.

Asked about her upcoming documentary "Amy Winehouse & Me: Dionne's Story", she said: "For quite a while, I hadn't really thought about Amy because I didn't want to think about that time. But as we approached the 10-year anniversary of her death, I felt like I really wanted to offload a lot of built-up emotions and feelings.

10 years on but your presence is still so strong. Missing you always but today more than ever - love you little big sis!

Click the link to read my heartfelt letter to Amy by me for @BritishVogue 💕https://t.co/Gq9U7SL8cF pic.twitter.com/VrbBujfDq2

— Dionne Bromfield (@DionneOfficial) July 23, 2021

"And I also felt like there was a side to Amy that not many people know and I wanted to share it."

Although Dionne was nervous about addressing her feelings, it gradually became "easier and easier" to speak out.

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She told heat magazine: "I think sometimes when you have to take a look in the mirror, it's one of the hardest things to do. "But then, to move forward, I knew I had to put a pin in that chapter. "And the more I talked, the more weight lifted off my shoulders.

"It became easier and easier – talking about her was the easiest thing, which was crazy, because 10 years ago talking about her was the hardest thing."

The day is nearly here for you to see what I’ve been working on over the past couple of months. This is a project that is very close to my heart and I can’t wait for you all to see it 💕@MTVUK @MTV pic.twitter.com/FUpji0lHvK

— Dionne Bromfield (@DionneOfficial) July 22, 2021

Dionne hopes the documentary will show how "caring and loving" Amy was. Asked the impression she wants to leave with the film, she said: "Just how caring and loving she was. I think people always think of her as being very out-there and speaking her mind, but she was also so respectful and sweet, and so normal.

"There was no pretension, she was authentically herself. And she had banter for days, that woman.

"If she hadn't been a singer, she could easily have been a stand-up comedian.

"I just want people to see the true Amy I know, because anyone who knew her was lucky to know her."