Paula Abdul quitting "American Idol"

Paula Abdul said she is quitting the judging panel of the United States' top rated TV singing show "American Idol."

Making her announcement on her Twitter feed, Abdul said she had decided not to return to "Idol" which is due to start auditions for its new season on August 9.

"I'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day 1 become an international phenomenon," Abdul said.

"What I want to say most, is how much I appreciate the undying support and enormous love that you have showered upon me."

Abdul did not give any reason for her decision to quit the show that started in 2002 and quickly became an audience juggernaut for News Corp's Fox network with an average of 26.3 million viewers per episode in the season that ended in May.

The show is seen in more than 100 countries and is a joint production between 19 Entertainment, a unit of CKX Inc, and FremantleMedia, a unit of British-based RTL Group, which is controlled by media giant Bertelsmann AG.