• People, Friday, June 23, 2006 11 AM

"American Idol" not only got us interested in voting again, but apparently the hit Fox TV show has also performed that ultimate civic duty of saving someone's life, People reports. Runner-up Katharine McPhee has admitted to the celeb-worshiping weekly that she suffered from bulimia for five years--but after successfully auditioning for the program last fall, she decided to seek help. "When I made it onto "American Idol" I knew that food--my eating disorder--was the one thing really holding me back," she says. "So when I got on the show, I said, 'You know what? I can do well in this competition. Let me give myself a chance and just get ahold of this thing." The show, she continues' "saved my life, because if I hadn't auditioned I don't think I would have gotten a handle on food."

Read the whole story at People »