Melinda Doolittle can breathe now. Finding out she was voted off “American Idol” on Wednesday was “the first time that I had taken a breath in a really long time,” she said Thursday, People.com reports.
“Knowing that I had made it this far and knowing that I was going to be able to sing from here on out without being judged and voted? It was just like this sigh of relief,” the 29-year-old singer told Ryan Seacrest after calling in to his 102.7 KIIS radio program. “Now I’m getting ready to sing just because I love it.
“Two amazing people are in the finale right now, and I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Doolittle said, telling Seacrest that she wasn’t resentful over being voted off. The two “amazing” finalists, Jordin Sparks, 17, and Blake Lewis, 25, will square off next week in the “Idol” finale.
“Those are still my babies,” she said. “I’m still their mama. I’m so proud about it and don’t feel cheated at all. There are always opportunities out there to grab onto and to take ahold of, so I’m just ready for that.”
And maybe she’ll have a little help along the way, according to People.com: Judge Simon Cowell just might help her find the right opportunity. “Simon was especially supportive and said, ‘I want to see you succeed,’ ” she told Seacrest.
———-
The Personals page was compiled by Valentina Djeljosevic and Kim Profant from Tribune news services and staff reports.
