It has emerged Nelson Mandela had a soft spot for singer Amy Winehouse after a quip she made about his time in jail.

The revelation has come from former prime minister Gordon Brown, who told Guardian’s G2 magazine that the pair met at Mr Mandela's 90th birthday party.

Apparently the singer joked he had a lot in common with her husband Blake Fielder-Civil, because they'd both spent a long time in prison.

In the interview Mr Brown said: "The person he (Mr Mandela) most liked was Amy Winehouse.

"She said to him: 'You and my husband have a lot in common'.

"He said, 'Oh, what is that?' "She said, 'You've both spent a long time in prison'."

Amy Winehouse and Blake Fielder-Civil married in 2007 and after a turbulent two-year marriage divorced.