Nikki McKibbin Opens Up About Alleged Suicide Attempt

[Brian Damage]

Former American Idol contestant Nikki McKibbin's back, and she's opening up about her rumored suicide attempt and trying to set the record straight. In an interview with E! on Tuesday, McKibbin says, "I was hospitalized, but not because I tried to kill myself."

McKibbin, who went in for medical treatment Feb. 21, asserts that her hospitalization was due to an allergic reaction to pain medication that resulted in the arrival of police and paramedics at her home. "The police officers handcuffed me, stuck me in the back of a squad car," she says. "It was traumatic." There was some speculation that McKibbin's ordeal stemmed from trauma over her mother's death last August, from which the single mom suffered a breakdown.

Responding to reports that McKibbin had claimed she "wanted to be with her mom in heaven" at the time of her hospitalization, she says, "Honestly, I've said it before so I am not saying I didn't. But I don't remember. Honestly, I just don't remember."

The singer, who came in third on Idol's first season, also faced some similar issues as this season's contestants: Like David Hernandez, McKibbin admits she worked as a stripper — and says that Idol knew all about it from day one.

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