News / Entertainment
Paula Abdul speaks out again about her odd behavior
Paula Abdul has again denied that her odd behavior on Fox’s hit, American Idol, comes from her use of drugs or alcohol. She blames it on a neurological disorder called reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) which causes chronic pain.
Abdul claims that the chronic pain often causes sleepless nights which in turn results in her odd behavior on TV. "I'm sick of it. I've never been drunk. I don't do recreational drugs. It's defamation of character," Abdul asserted.
"If I appear exhausted on television, it's because I am! I have a lot of sleepless nights because I'm in so much pain," Abdul says. "I try to say something and I stumble, and that's what people have picked up on. I'm not polished."
Abdul, 44, was involved in a cheerleading accident when she was 17 which was the beginning of her chronic pain. Then, later in 1987, she was involved in a car accident with a drunk driver and in 1992 the plane she was in crashed. She says all these things have contributed to her severe chronic disorder.
"I have four titanium plates in my neck. I've had 14 surgeries over the years. I had an operation the same evening as the first-season finale of American Idol," Abdul told OK! Magazine.
Abdul’s disorder was first revealed to the public in 2005 after speculation about her behavior led to accusations that she had been drinking or doing drugs. "It was time to set the record straight. I want America to know that I have never been addicted to anything, no chemical dependency, nothing for recreational purposes," she said.
Earlier this year in January she appeared on TV interviews where her speech was slurred and she seemed confused. She also blamed this incident on lack of sleep. She went as far as to blame it on an audio glitch.
Although being a judge on American Idol has its down sides, like the attention it got her over her behavior, Abdul says that it "overshadows being a Grammy Award winner and selling millions of records."
Abdul says that anti-inflammatory medicine, massage therapy and acupuncture helps make the pain bearable.
