Paula Abdul Quits American Idol Via Twitter

Paula Abdul is to stand down as a judge on American Idol, it's been confirmed.

The 47-year-old former singer announced her decision to leave in a series of messages on the social networking website Twitter.

"With sadness in my heart, I've decided not to return to American Idol,” she wrote.

"I'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day one become an international phenomenon."

Abdul, whose position on the programme has been the subject of huge speculation over recent weeks, sad she wanted to thanks fans for their “undying support and enormous love”.

"It truly has been breathtaking, especially over the past month,” she added.

Paula Abdul announces American Idol departure.

People magazine recently reported that Abdul had not been offered a contract for the ninth series of the programme, which begins filming in Denver on Thursday.

The singer appeared as a judge on all eight series of the show alongside Simon Cowell and Randy Philips.

The trio of judges were joined last year by Kara DioGuardi, who will also feature in the new series.