Saturday, 2 June 2007

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Paula Abdul opens up about her health

American Idol judge says: 'I'm just exhausted'

Paula Abdul, who said Thursday she is "deeply hurt" that a phone call with her reps was leaked to the press, opened up to PEOPLE about how she's doing.

"Look at me, I'm okay, really I am," the American Idol judge, 44, told PEOPLE at the afterparty for the Fragrance Foundation's FiFi Awards in New York City Thursday night.

"I'm doing just fine and don't have to explain myself to anyone. It hurts. The leak, that's illegal. That was a private conversation. That was a violation of my privacy and totally illegal." The phone call was first reported by the New York Post's Page Six.

On the tape, she talks about having Addison's disease, an adrenal disorder that causes chronic fatigue, muscle weakness and irritability. Asked whether she has the illness, Abdul said: "I haven't been diagnosed with it. I'm just exhausted. Sometimes I have really low blood sugar levels. It's all because I work very hard, that's it."

She continued, "When you work as hard as I do, you become exhausted. That's what happens. I'm working on five different projects right now. And now people are saying I have Addison's. I'm tired."

In the call, Abdul also talks about her strained relationship with former publicist Howard Bragman. She would not comment to PEOPLE about whether she was upset about her split with Bragman, but said: "I'm not happy about that phone call being leaked. That's illegal."

Finally, Abdul, who recently broke her nose when, her rep said, she tripped over her Chihuahua, had a message for concerned fans. "I love my fans," she said. "They mean so much to me. I'm doing fine. I'm a fighter."