AMERICAN IDOL - HUDSON SURPRISES AMERICAN IDOL CONTESTANTS

Oscar winner JENNIFER HUDSON returned to her AMERICAN IDOL roots and made a surprise visit to the show last week (28FEB07) to support this season's contestants. Hudson made it to the finals of the TV talent show in season three, but she was voted off the programme. FANTASIA BARRINO went on to claim victory. But, in a bid to prove she has no hard feelings about missing out on the chance to become an Idol winner, Hudson secretly returned to the show to offer the current batch of wannabes encouragement. The DREAMGIRLS star says, "I just went to visit the show. I wanted to surprise the kids. I wanted to meet the contestants. "It was elimination day. I still remember that day. I still get nervous on Wednesdays, because I was always in the bottom three (to be voted off the show). "So I wanted to go and encourage them. The last thing I said is, 'Remember, it's OK if you get eliminated!' I'm the perfect person to tell them that."