Paula Abdul quits ‘American Idol’

Paula Abdul, the dancer, choreographer and pop singer who revived her flagging career by becoming the warm-hearted judge alongside the blunt Englishman Simon Cowell on American Idol, has announced she is leaving the top-rated US television show after eight series.

Abdul (pictured second right) announced her departure on Twitter overnight. "With sadness in my heart, I've decided not to return to Idol," she wrote. "I'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being part of a show that I helped from day one become an international phenomenon."

Her walkout follows the apparent failure of negotiations for a massive pay hike. According to an early report in the New York Times, Abdul was paid approximately $2m over the last season, and had started a vocal campaign for a substantial pay rise. The Times understands that producers had offered Abdul a 30 per cent salary increase and a total multi-year deal worth more than $10m. But apparently this was not enough to satisfy Abdul, who was feeling under-appreciated.

The atmosphere on American Idol had been awkward for the past year, ever since the producers added songwriter Kara DioGuardi (second left) to the three permanent judges who had been there from the start in 2002 - Abdul, Cowell (left) and Randy Jackson (right).

Fox TV and producer Simon Fuller - the British TV impresario who created Pop Idol in the UK and the American spin-off - said DioGuardi was added to offer a new dimension and "bring a breath of fresh air" to the show. But the move was widely seen as a warning to Abdul to rein in her kooky behaviour - and as an insurance policy should she ever threaten to quit.

Fox has sought to minimise any damage done by a popular judge quitting what has been the most watched TV show in the States for five successive years.

"Paula Abdul has been an important part of the American Idol family over the last eight seasons and we are saddened that she has decided not to return to the show," a statement read. "She's a tremendous talent and we wish her the best."

Abdul began her career as a cheerleader for the LA Lakers basketball team. Her first pop album, Forever Your Girl, released in 1988, took a year to get to number one on the US Billboard 200 chart - and remained there for 10 weeks.

Her name had been virtually forgotten in showbusiness circles when in 2002 she was chosen as a judge for American Idol. She was known for sometimes slurring her words and speaking apparent gibberish, but she was popular as a sympathetic and compassionate antidote to the tough-talking Cowell.

A longtime reality show producer, speaking anonymously, told the New York Times: "You never know what makes a show popular. She could be responsible for a significant portion of the audience."