Celebrity Mound

Fans walked out of Whitney Houston’s concert at London’s O2 arena last night because of her poor performance.

The singer’s Nothing But Love tour has been beset with problems since she came to Europe, and last night she admitted her voice wasn’t in the best condition as she failed to hit high notes and abandoned her song ‘The Greatest Love of All’ halfway through.

After a shaky rendition of her most famous song ‘I Will Always Love You’, Whitney said of her voice: “She don’t want to come, my soprano friend Sometimes the old girl sings, but not tonight. I want to do it, but she doesn’t want to. She’s getting a little – temperamental, even.”

Whitney’s backing singers reportedly carried much of the melody in many songs and Whitney appeared out of breath between numbers.

Whitney was earlier forced to cancel a concert in Paris and reschedule three shows in the UK, after she was hospitalized in the French capital with an upper respiratory infection.

Her first show after recovering in Birmingham, England saw her give a shaky performance and was criticized by some fans.

Some people who walked out of last night’s performance – the first of three at the London venue – are calling for a refund.

Concertgoer Sue posted on an internet message board: “What a sad Night. To see someone so talented turn into such a mess. We left early along with hundreds of disappointed fans. Whether refunds are available or not the tour should be brought to an end before others waste their hard earned cash.”

Another poster, Dom, agreed, writing: “I went to the concert last night, and it was heartbreaking to watch someone so talented perform like that.

“She obviously could not reach any high notes at all, despite the audience willing her on, and probably would have been better off miming certain parts, just so the audience could actually hear a full rendition of one of her classics.”

Fans have been told to contact the show’s promoters if they are seeking a refund.

Singer Whitney Houston was released from a Paris hospital on Wednesday after suffering a respiratory infection and she called media reports that she was using drugs again “ridiculous.”

After being hospitalized in Paris on Tuesday under doctor’s orders, Houston told People magazine she is looking forward to returning to the stage after postponing several dates on the European leg of her concert tour.

“I’m feeling great,” she said. “I’m just ready to move on and continue my world tour.”

Houston, 46, is expected to retake the stage on April 13 in Birmingham, England, and continue touring through June.

“My health is terrific, but this is a time when I get a lot of allergies,” she told People.

Houston had been due to perform in Manchester, England, on April 8 and 9 but the shows were rescheduled for June 16 and 17. Her show in Glasgow, Scotland, on April 11 was moved to May 1.

She already had postponed a concert in Paris on Tuesday, delaying the European leg of a world tour that received a rocky reception in Asia and Australia.

Houston, one of the top selling U.S. female vocalists of all time, launched a comeback last year after battling drug addiction and released “I Look To You,” her first studio album in seven years that topped the U.S. and other charts.

But her performance during her “Nothing but Love” world tour in Australia was panned by some critics and some fans walked out, complaining she was off key, out of breath and looked exhausted.

The negative reports and postponed concerts in Europe led some tabloids to speculate that Houston had relapsed into drug use. She called that “ridiculous.”

“At this point, I just don’t respond,” she told People. “I don’t even read it.”

Whitney Houston’s lawyer is fuming over reports the star is heading back to rehab after allegedly collapsing backstage at a recent concert – he’s branded the claims “ridiculous”.

The R&B superstar’s Nothing But Love tour has been marred by complaints after the singer struggled to get through several of her shows, seemingly finding it hard to breath and disappearing backstage for several minutes at a time.

The star’s rep insisted Houston’s breathing difficulties were caused by smoking cigarettes, and denied allegations she had returned to using crack cocaine.

The star’s tour received more bad press when U.S. tabloid the National Enquirer alleged the singer had collapsed, and had been persuaded to enter a rehabilitation centre to battle her issues.

But the I Will Always Love You hitmaker’s attorney Marty Singer has refuted the report, insisting there is no truth in the claims.

He tells UsMagazine.com, “Whitney is not headed to rehab. She is headed to Paris, where she will be continuing her world tour.

“Ridiculous. It did not happen.”

In an interview with TV titan Oprah Winfrey last year, Houston admitted taking drugs with former husband Bobby Brown, revealing her mum, Cissy, turned up to her home with an injunction and ordered her to get help.

Whitney Houston took drugs, including cocaine and marijuana, with ex-husband Bobby Brown, who was emotionally abusive during their marriage and at one point spit on her, the singer said during an interview that aired Monday on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”

“I had so much money and so much access to what I wanted,” Houston told Winfrey. “I didn’t think about the singing part anymore. I was looking for my young womanhood.”

After a long absence from music, Houston is staging a career comeback with a new album “I Look to You” released last month and a two-part appearance on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Houston is one of the best-selling artists of all time, but her career stalled as she grappled with drug problems and a troubled marriage to Brown.

The couple married in 1992 and were divorced in 2007. During their marriage, Brown was arrested on drug and alcohol charges, and Houston twice entered drug rehabilitation programs. She has custody of their teenage daughter.

Houston told Winfrey that Brown wasn’t physically abusive but “he slapped me once but he got hit on the head three times by me.”

A phone message left Monday with Brown’s attorney in Atlanta seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Houston said she was attracted to Brown because he took control of their relationship and had “a sweet, gentle tenderness.”

“At home, he was very much the father, he was very much the man,” Houston said. “He was very much in control. I liked that. When he said something, I listened. I was very interested in having someone have that kind of control over me. It was refreshing.”

She described an episode after a birthday party for Brown that left her “horrified. He spit on me, in my face.” She said their daughter, Bobbi Kristina, witnessed the incident, which left Houston “very hurt, very angry.”

Houston also said Brown would smash and break things at their home.

The 46-year-old singer described her drug use, saying it became “heavy” after her 1992 movie “The Bodyguard.” She said she would take marijuana combined with rock cocaine.

“You put your marijuana, you lace it, you roll it up and you smoke it,” Houston explained to Winfrey.

During a 2002 ABC interview with Diane Sawyer, Houston admitted dabbling in drugs but denied using crack, then uttered the now-famous phrase: “Crack is wack.”

“He was my drug,” Houston told Winfrey of Brown. “I didn’t do anything without him. I wasn’t getting high by myself. It was me and him together. We were partners.”

Houston said she stuck with Brown because she took her marriage vows seriously. She said she told her daughter about her drug use and took her with her to an Atlanta drug rehab for mothers and children.

“I didn’t lie to her,” Houston said.

Her mother also tried to intervene, the singer said, and at one point came to Houston’s home with police.

The singer prayed for help, asking God to give her strength, she said.

“I was so weak to him,” Houston said. “I was so weak to the love.”