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Paula Abdul, who has been in tense negotiations with Fox for a new deal to stay with "American Idol," wrote on Twitter tonight that she is leaving the show.

Abdul used several tweets to share the news, writing in full: “With sadness in my heart, I’ve decided not to return to #IDOL. I’ll be miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show that I helped from day1 become an international phenomenon. "

Abdul's contract expired after this past season, its eighth, ended in May. Auditions for next season begin Thursday in Denver. Last week, word leaked that Kara DioGuardi, who was added this year to the judging panel, would return, and Fox officially announced Monday that DioGuardi's option had been picked up, putting even more pressure on the Abdul question.

Fox has issued a statement saying, "Paula Abdul has been an important part of the 'American Idol' family over the last eight seasons and we are saddened that she has decided not to return to the show. While Paula will not be continuing with us, she's a tremendous talent and we wish her the best."

The news doesn’t come as a huge shocker to entertainment watchers, as Abdul has been in a somewhat public contract negotiation that apparently never reached a resolution. Idol host Ryan Seacrest even recently tweeted that he “can’t imagine doing Idol” without Abdul. Seacrest will now have to find a way, though he has at least 15 million other reasons to stick around.

Abdul's manager did not respond to a call seeking comment earlier Tuesday when word started to spread that talks had soured.

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