Falling apart: Stick-thin Amy Winehouse more ravaged than ever... as she admits: 'I can't go on like this'

It was a high society ball attended by a host of VIPs in their most glamorous gowns.

But somehow Amy Winehouse didn't get the dress code quite right.

Wearing scruffy animal print shorts, the troubled star looked shockingly skinny and ill as she performed at the End of Summer Ball in London's Berkeley Square last night.

With her gaunt physique, unkempt hair, smudged makeup and scratches on her legs the singer looked more unwell than ever.

The 25-year-old admitted she was on the verge of a breakdown after a night of worryingly shambolic behaviour — even by her standards.

The troubled star embarrassed herself by ruining her 12-year-old goddaughter’s debut singing performance and lashing out at a photographer before collapsing and sobbing: 'Life can’t go on. I can’t do this any more.'

The singer was at the Berkeley Square Ball in Mayfair to provide backing vocals for her goddaughter Dionne Bromfield.

But onlookers were shocked at how out of it Amy was, and the audience at the charity bash cringed as she grabbed and hugged Dionne as she tried to perform.

The pair were joined on stage by a live band and one of Amy’s backing singers for the three-song set.

We’re told: 'It was tragic — she seemed totally wasted. She was jumping all over Dionne as the poor girl tried to sing for the crowd. Amy didn’t really sing a single note — it sounded more like she was grunting down the mic.'

At the end of the performance, Amy’s backing singer told the crowd: 'Isn’t she great? She’s only 12-years-old!'

But Amy crowed: 'She’s better than you — it doesn’t matter how old she is.'

She then roamed from table to table, demanding to meet famous people.

Sugababe Heidi Range was sent to talk to her but couldn’t keep her attention long.

Our spy said: 'Amy was then asked to pose for the event’s official photographer, but flipped and tried to headbutt him. She looked like a woman possessed.'

But backstage things took a turn for the worse. Our spy adds: 'Amy collapsed backstage in tears. She kept saying, ‘Life can’t go on, I can’t do this’.'
It was a sorry return to the public eye for Amy, who has kept a low profile recently.

She arrived at her Camden home at the end of the night with only one shoe and looking horribly dishevelled.

Among the 850 guests at the glittering event were Kate Middleton's younger sister Pippa, Sugababe Heidi Range, model Emma Noble and former Atomic Kitten Liz McLarnon.

Party-goers paid £750 for tickets which included a meal by by celebrity chef Marco Pierre White and cocktails prepared by exclusive restaurant Nobu.