Boy George says Amy Winehouse reminds him of himself

Flamboyant 80s pop star Boy George says Amy Winehouse reminds him of himself.

The 46-year-old 'Karma Chameleon' hitmaker - who has battled an addiction to cocaine - realized he had a connection with the troubled singer when she was recently taken to the same East London "cop shop" where he was held on charges of false imprisonment in May last year.

He said: "I love Amy Winehouse. My favorite thing was seeing her going into Shoreditch police station [in connection to a bribery plot] because that's where I was nicked. It's obviously the pop star cop shop.

"She looks as it she should be in 'Hairspray', the pencil skirt, the beehive, always slightly dizzy. She reminds me of myself in the early days of Culture Club."

The 'Rehab' singer, 24, was quizzed by police about her husband Blake Fielder-Civil's alleged plot to bribe a barman he is accused of assaulting. All charges against Amy were later dropped.

The singer - whose real name is George O'Dowd, also revealed Amy inspired him to start singing again, because her music made him cry.

He added to Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper: "She really inspired me to sing again. For me, the measure of a great singer is whether they make me cry. I love George Michael's voice but he never made me cry. Amy makes it sound effortless, but she's not faking it. It comes down to a complete package, feeling it, doing it, living it."