‘Pop Idol’ judge Pete Waterman tells New magazine the second season of the competition convinced him to quit because he feels bad about how Michelle McManus was treated after winning. “I think what we did to Michelle was appalling,” he said. “We should have been taken off the air. She didn’t have a great voice and she was grossly overweight. But we made her believe that she was talented enough to win, when she never was. That makes us guilty of lying to the public.”

‘Pop Idol’ season two champ Michelle McManus posted a message to fans on her official website on Tuesday. The singer writes, “First of all I just wanna thank all you guys who have stuck with me this whole year and I’m really looking forward to the next one. There’s lots of exciting stuff coming up next year but of course, as always, you guys will hear it first on the website.”

‘Pop Idol’ champ Michelle McManus is furious that she has been branded the show’s worst singer after her record sales disappointed. “Nicola from Big Brother released a record that bombed and no one blamed her,” McManus explained. “I’ve done far better than most TV stars with a recording career – it’s about time I was cut a bit of slack.”