Babyshambles frontman Pete Doherty has admitted that he finds stories about Amy Winehouse, including her battle with emphysema, “heartbreaking”.

In an interview with Loaded magazine, Doherty, who is close friends with the singer, said he felt sorry for her.

“She's not been married for a year and her old man's locked up,” he said. “It's a lonely life and she's completely hounded by the papers. I feel so, so sorry for her.”

Winehouse was diagnosed with traces of the lung disease last month after she fainted at her home in North London.

Earlier this year, both Doherty and Winehouse appeared in an online video playing with one day old mice.

In the same interview, Doherty also spoke about his own battle with drugs – but denied he was setting a bad example to fans.

"I can't see why people call me a bad influence. I meet a lot of kids who are into music. I spend as much time as I can with them. I listen to their demos and I'm encouraging,” he said.

"No-one's ever asked me for a drug dealer's number. It's music, music, music. That's my influence."

(by Jason Gregory)