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The family of Paula Goodspeed, the woman found dead outside Paula Abdul's home, has spoken out about her suicide.
30-year-old Goodspeed's body was discovered close to the American Idol judge's Sherman Oaks property on Tuesday. It has since emerged that she auditioned for the reality show in January 2006 and was mocked by Simon Cowell.
"I don't think any artist on earth could sing with that much metal in your mouth. That's like a bridge. How did she get through the metal detector? It must have gone crazy," Cowell said on the programme.
Goodspeed's niece Sonja McIntyre told Good Morning America that her aunt was hurt by the remarks.
"Paula reacted pretty much the way anyone would react. Saying that she had a bridge in her mouth? That's rude. She didn't go there for looks, she went there for vocals. She went there to sing," she said.
Psychologist Dr. Bethany Marshall also appeared on the breakfast show, commenting that reality TV may be dangerous for the emotionally fragile.
"Here's the problem with these kinds of shows. If you have a personality disordered, fragile, vulnerable contestant who is very sensitive to criticism, and you put the image of them being criticised on YouTube, plastered in front of millions of people. They're not Teflon-coated. They cannot handle it," she said.
