Sylvia Young has described her former student Amy Winehouse as a wonderful singer and denied that she ever expelled her.

The founder of London's Sylvia Young Theatre School toldHeat that Winehouse was a precocious student when she was in her charge.

Young said: "Amy was wonderful, the most brilliant singer. I admired her tremendously, but I did have to constantly tell her to take out her earrings and nose ring.

"She was in a world of her own and always daydreaming. She was also enormously clever, way beyond her age. We put her up a year to start with, but that still didn't focus her - Amy's mind was in the clouds."

She added: "She used to write prolifically, and we thought if she didn't go into the world of music she would be an author. Amy was also very outspoken. It's alwaysreported that we expelled her, but we didn't.

"I think she genuinely believed that had happened, because her mum took her out to go to another school. School wasn't for Amy, but I do think she was happy here."