NATALIE COLE STANDS BY WINEHOUSE BASH

Natalie Cole

Singing star Natalie Cole is standing by her criticisms of fellow pop singer Amy Winehouse, and is urging the troubled singer not to make the same mistakes she did. Cole had sparked outrage last year by announcing that the singer didn't "deserve" to take home a clutch of Grammy Awards when she was caught up in drug addiction. Winehouse landed five awards at the 2008 ceremony and performed via satellite link-up from London, where she was fresh out of a rehab clinic. The rehab singer then underwent several more stays in hospital in a hope to kick her addictions and is currently enjoying an extended holiday in the Caribbean. Cole, who endured a long-running battle with heroin addiction, is now suffering from Hepatitis C. And she hopes Winehouse will look at her case and stop experimenting with drugs for good. She tells Fox News, "I got into a bit of hot water for what I said about Amy Winehouse and I still say it again. I'm an ex-drug addict and I don't take that kind of stuff lightly. "It stayed in my body for 25 years and it could still happen to this young woman or other addicts who are fooling around with drugs, especially needles. I would hope that what happened to me does not happen to her."

Photo By: Sara De Boer/Retna