Kelly Clarkson 'hated life' after Idol

Kelly Clarkson has revealed that she "hated life" in the years following her American Idol win.

1 of 1 Kelly Clarkson

The original winner of the show in 2002 explained that the American Idol makers did not care about her wellbeing.

Speaking to Redbook magazine she said: "I'm going to be completely honest - I had no one looking out for me. They were looking out for the show, and it was horrible.

"I was 19 years old. I was smart enough to know that it wasn't about me, but that didn't make it any easier. I'm all cried out about it, but my first four years, I hated my life; I almost quit a dozen times."

However, the Never Again singer who is dating her manager's son, Brandon Blackstock admitted that she is finally happy.

She added: "Where's the kick in the ass? I told my assistant that today. I said, 'I'm just waiting for something to blow up.' She said, 'No, that's what happiness is.' I'm like, maybe I've never been happy! Because Brandon does - he makes me happy."

Kelly recently joined the panel of new television talent show Duets as a mentor and dropped 30! lbs for the role.

When asked about her weight loss she said: "I do cardio. I run. I strength-train using my own body weight. I don't like free weights, because I build muscle easily.

"Really, what I try to instill in my fans is to be healthy and happy. I have no desire to be super-skinny."