Whitney Houston never displayed any "diva-ness" around Eddie Murphy.

The late singer and the American comedian were friends and he is still trying to get over her death last month. Much has been made of Whitney's struggle with drug addiction following her passing, but Eddie insists that isn't something he connects to her.

"I know when I was around Whitney, I never saw any diva-ness; I never saw her do any drugs. I saw her smoke a cigarette before, but that was about it. She knows I did not like that and she didn't do that around me," he said.

Eddie and Whitney were once romantically linked, but Eddie has insisted they were never item.

Despite that he has nothing but praise for the musical icon, who always managed to make him laugh.

"I was never dating Whitney. She was a friend of mine. I may have gone to dinner with her a few times, but it was never like we were dating - we were never boyfriend and girlfriend," he told Extra. "We were very friendly acquaintances. She was a beautiful person. I hear a lot of people talking about her sense of humour, and she really did have a great sense of humour, she was a funny girl."

Yesterday it was reported that Eddie is dating Toni Braxton. Asked about the rumour, the 50-year-old neither confirmed nor denied it.

However, he did hint he is ready to settle down. "I haven't been on an actual traditional date in quite some time; I'm due. I'm going to take someone on a date really soon," he laughed.

The American comedian was due to host this year's Oscars, which took place last Sunday. He pulled out and was replaced by Billy Crystal, who received mixed reviews by critics for his ninth time helming the event.

Although Eddie didn't criticise Billy, he hinted he wasn't that impressed.

"If they ask me again and it comes around, I'm totally open to do. It's one of the few things that I haven't done as a comedian. So, yeah, one day," he said. "It would be a little quicker with me driving."