Amy Winehouse was in the process of secretly adopting an adorable Caribbean child — hoping to save her from her impoverished life — just before the tragic singer died, the little girl’s family said.
Bright-eyed Dannika Augustine, 10, of St. Lucia, had caught the eye of the 27-year-old “Rehab” crooner during one of the singer’s many jaunts to the island and was going to be formally adopted by Winehouse before the troubled star died in her London pad on July 23, London’s Mirror newspaper reported yesterday.
“Amy was al ready my mother,” a heart broken Dannika told the paper. “I would call her Mum, and she would call me her daughter. She took care of me, and we had fun together. I loved her, and she loved me.”
Since Winehouse’s death, the whole family “has been crying,” family friend Jarac Charles told The Post.
Winehouse first met Dannika in 2009 while vacationing on the idyllic Caribbean island, where Dannika’s grandmother, Marjorie Lambert, runs a bar.
Despite Winehouse’s constant battles with booze and drugs, Dannika’s family said they were more than happy to help the Grammy winner adopt their little girl in hope that she would enjoy a better life in England.
“Amy loved Dannika with all her heart,” said Lambert, 57. “I don’t know why Amy took to Dannika above all the other children on the island, but from the moment they met, they were inseparable.
“They would spend all day playing, horse-riding and walking up and down the beach hand in hand.”
Dannika’s mom, Nadia Germaine, 31, and biological dad, Vic Augustine, 35, who lives in Germany, were both OK with Winehouse adopting their girl, kin said.
“I thanked Amy for taking care of my daughter, and she said, ‘Dannika is taking care of me. I couldn’t live without her,’ ” Augustine said. “I knew [Winehouse] could give my daughter a wonderful life.”
A US rep for Winehouse could not immediately be reached for comment.