Amy killed the gossip king

The former editor of showbiz bible Heat today revealed he quit because Britain's celebrities are out of control.

Gossip king Mark Frith, who ran the mag for a decade, said the troubled lives of stars like Amy Winehouse, Pete Doherty and Kerry Katona had become too dark for his mag.

He told NOTW Online: "I was supposed to be printing a light-hearted look at the world of celebrity and all I was getting were pictures of Amy Winehouse with cuts on her arm.

"I was tasked with publishing a fun weekly mag, the new generation's Smash Hits, but you can't do the fun stuff when all this very dark, very serious stuff is happening.

"Kate Moss and Pete Doherty we just ignored. It was too dark and too grim, Pete particularly.

"Last Christmas I'd been there ten years and I just thought enough is enough, I want to get out. I actually found myself pining for the days of Darius - it was fun back then."

Mark quit as editor in May and has now written a tell-all book The Celeb Diaries in which he spills the beans on the feuds, arguments and behind-the-scenes lives of the rich and famous.

He gave us a taster of the bitchy snippets readers can expect.

Posh and Becks: "Victoria is funny, entertaining and very sharp. But David is very serious. When I interviewed her in May 2000 and saw them together there was an odd tension between them.

"They've had lots things to resolve in their marriage and it's not been easy but they've made it work and now seem happier than they've ever been. To do that under such intense pressure from the press is almost superhuman - and I admire them for that."

Atomic Kitten: "Most people are well-behaved and polite when you go to interview them because they know what will happen otherwise - but Atomic Kitten blew it!

"I don't know whether they were in a bad mood or what it was, but they were very off with us. Very dismissive, almost defensive.

"It was just an unenjoyable experience - and at the time they needed all the help they could get."

Jordan: "We broke the incredible story that something was happening between Jordan and Gareth Gates. It seemed like the weirdest combination and even though the story came from her, he denied it.

"Of course he was sweet little Gareth so to get the interview with him in which he admitted it was really big news for us.

"It was a big story I'm very proud of."

Peaches Geldof: "I despair of her when on one hand she says 'I don't want all this attention' and then certain things she does look completely created for attention.

"She can't carry on forever having the best of both worlds. She's very young and I hope she will grow out of a lot of this.

"But I don't think many Heat readers really identify with her, or aspire to be her."

Jonathan Ross: "I had him ringing up and screaming down the phone at me because we'd printed photos of him and his son flying a kite on Hampstead Heath. A few months later we were offered pictures of him and his family together at theme park by his agent.

"It's interesting how celebrities want to have it on their own terms all the time - what Heat did was burst that bubble a bit."

Geri Halliwell: "When I met her she was in a very flirty mode anyway. People say she's not on this planet but to be in the room with her was very entertaining. She's a lot of fun and left a big impression on me - she told me I was good father material!

"Zoe Ball too, is very entertaining a real larger-than-life character."

Mark, 38, is now spending time off with his pregnant girlfriend Gaby and two-year-old son.

He said: "I'm loving having the time off - I've never done that before. So for now I'm living the dream until the money runs out."

The Celeb Diaries published by Ebury is out on September 4, priced £14.99

To celebrate the launch, Mark will be in a conversation with Boyd Hilton from Heat magazine on 2nd October at 6.30pm at Harrods in London.

Tickets are free but it is first come first served - please call to reserve a place on 020 7893 8569.