Whitney Houston at the MEN Arena, Manchester

Diva Whitney Houston received a warm and highly motional welcome at Manchester’s MEN Arena on Wednesday night.

Fans had waited over two months to see the Nothing But Love tour after it was postponed in April when the singer was reported to have a respiratory infection.

And what should have been the UK opener instead brings the curtain down tonight on a tour that has certainly had more downs than ups.

It was a surreal experience.

What until recently would surely have been a sell-out performance filled only the lower tiers of the massive arena. Concert-goers were clearly nervous after poor reviews and the support acts tried in vain to warm up the wary audience.

Then the star herself took the stage.

Looking a shadow of her former self, the 46-year-old, dressed all in black with a long trench style coat, began with two songs from her new album before reminding us of her 25 years in music.

At times there were glimpses of the mega-star who has been one of the most successful artists over the last three decades. Her voice retains a lovely tone and on occasions the enormous power that she is so famous for threatened to win through.

However the singer, who has battled drug addiction, was visibly distressed, clearly breathless and there was a palpable relief in the auditorium when she reached the end of the set without serious mishap.

No-one could claim that this was a good performance - songs were interrupted frequently for the singer to compose herself - but there was an undeniable appeal in her vulnerability and spirit.

She was more comfortable with the up-beat pop numbers and I enjoyed her renditions of I Wanna Dance With Somebody and How Will I Know?

But it was her signature I Will Always Love You that will be remembered...the fragile star stopped midway through and just when it seemed she would leave the song unfinished, she was lifted by the crowd to continue.

And, as she completed the classic, the reception was as warm as if it had been note-perfect.

Whitney Houston slammed after audience walks out

Looking sweaty and out of sorts, the singer was trashed by the country’s media, with one particularly harsh critic saying she ‘looked and sounded like a person who doesn’t have many years left to live’.

The 46-year-old also sparked gossip after her tight frock hugged around a suspicious belly bump. However, some ticket holders didn’t stick around long enough to notice amid claims that ‘many members’ of the audience walked out of the gig at the weekend.

Houston’s latest outing was slated by ‘all of the major media outlets’, said The Copenhagen Post. The poor show by the fallen star is the latest episode in a disastrous comeback which began on our shores last month, with many of her Nothing But Love shows dogged by illness and technical glitches.

Some British shows saw Houston abandon attempts to hit the high notes and move on to other songs, leaving fans demanding their money back.

Slammed after audience walks out to Whitney Houston

Whitney Houston has suffered her worst stage meltdown yet after Danish fans walked out on her in Copenhagen.

Looking sweaty and out of sorts, the singer was trashed by the country’s media, with one especially harsh critic saying she ‘looked and sounded like a person who doesn’t have many years left to live’.
The 46 year old also sparked gossip after her tight frock hugged around a suspicious belly bump. However, some ticket holders didn’t stick around long enough to notice amid claims that ‘many members’ of the audience walked out of the concert at the weekend.
Houston’s latest outing was slated by ‘all of the major media outlets’, said The Copenhagen Post. The poor concert by the fallen star is the latest episode in a disastrous comeback which began on our shores last month, with many of her Nothing But Love shows dogged by illness and technical glitches.
Some British concerts saw Houston abandon attempts to hit the high notes and move on to other songs, leaving fans demanding their money back.

Whitney Houston : Houston has lift-off

Move over Tina Turner. Whitney Houston showed who the true diva was at the last of her London gigs - by poking fun at her ex husband Bobby Brown and throwing in some fancy footwork for good measure too.The singer, 46, who has battled through her recent gigs, stunned the crowd with a rendition of I Wanna Dance (With Some-body), giving her teenage dancers a run for their money with some pretty nifty moves.But she had the audience at the O2 in stitches when talking about her ex Bobby on Wednesday.
She said: "My daughter called me after hearing a rumour on the internet that he had died. But I said, 'Trust me, if that had happened, I'd definitely be the first to know.' "He called her and said I should tell the people tonight, it's not over yet."
Whitney then sent herself up when she later pointed to her throat.Referring to her voice in the third person, she said: "She's a little temperamental," before belting out her Bodyguard chart-topper I Will Always Love You. And it wasn't half bad.

Whitney Houston postpones European tour

Whitney Houston has been forced to postpone the European leg of her world tour on doctor's orders.

According to The AP, the singer is currently suffering from an "upper respiratory ailment".

"[Houston] deeply regrets having been forced to postpone the show," said a statement issued by her representative.

The tour will now start in Manchester on Thursday, as opposed to Paris today, as was the original plan.

This is only the latest problem for Houston on her world tour for her platinum comeback album, I Look to You. Some earlier performances have allegedly been negatively received by some fans and insiders, leading to concerns about her health. However, the singer has insisted that she is in great shape.

X Factor: Whitney Houston comeback questioned after live performance

The 46-year-old soul diva, who has fought a public battle against drug addiction, made her first UK TV appearance in 12 years on Sunday night's programme.

She sang her single Million Dollar Bill, over some pre-recorded vocals, and suffered a wardrobe malfunction when a strap at the back of her long silver dress snapped open.
Questions were also raised about Houston's physical condition as she looked drowsy and did not speak clearly when being interviewed by host Dermot O'Leary.
Fans have inundated the show's official website to express their shock at the performance.
One fumed: "What a huge waste of her talent. People should watch and learn what harm one can do to ones self. I hope for Whitney and all her fans she gets a grip and rejoins this planet."
Another, using the name _kelcee_, said: "Not sure what was going on with whitney what a huge let down."

Her performance came a week after former Take That idol Robbie Williams sang his latest single Bodies in a wide-eyed and very heated performance.

X Factor judge Cheryl Cole also performed her new song Fight For This Love in the studio following a week of strong debate about whether or not she would sing live. Simon Cowell described her routine as "incredible".

Rikki Loney was evicted from the show this evening after losing out to Rachel Adedeji in the live head-to-head. Irish duo John and Edward Grimes won through to the next round of the competition but were booed vociferously by the studio audience.

Whitney Houston Tickets are available online on GigSport.com or call 0844 477 9950.

Whitney's Drug Hell

Whitney Houston's poured her heart out to Oprah Winfrey.

For the first time, she's talked in detail about her shocking downward spiral into drugs.

And she's given an insight into her abusive relationship with ex-husband Bobby Brown: "Emotionally he was abusive. He slapped me once, but he got hit on the head three times by me."

Emotionally, the words he spoke were horrifying. And there were times he would smash things in the home."

She mentions one argument where she says Bobby was so drunk he spat on her.

She told Oprah she "was horrified he spit on me, in my face" and said it left her "very hurt, very angry".

She continued: "He had such hate in his eyes for me, because I loved him so much."

Whitney Houston and Bobby BrownWhit reveals their marriage hit such a low that Brown started cutting her head off pictures and painting evil eyes on their bedroom walls with spray paint.

But she says she loved him endlessly: "He was my drug. I didn't do anything without him."

Talking about her battle with cocaine and marijuana, she explained: "Before The Bodyguard it was very light. After The Bodyguard it started getting heavy. Cocaine. Marijuana."

The platinum-selling singer said she took so many drugs she couldn't even think about getting back onstage.She told Oprah: "I didn't think about the singing part any more. I'd totally forgotten about that life. I had so much money by that time."

Come take a look at Whitney's life in pics in our gallery below.