Kelly Clarkson Struggled With Life in the Spotlight  6/30/06

Kelly Clarkson struggled desperately to cope with life in the spotlight the first two years after winning talent competition American Idol.

The Walk Away singer has a handle on her career now, but insists adjusting to her fame following her 2002 triumph was not an easy process.

She explains, "Believe me, the first two years? Not good. A very rough two years for me. And I'm a pretty strong person.

"I think the key is surrounding yourself with good people. I need people around me who believe in me."

Clarkson slams reports she turned her back on the show that launched her career by not letting contestants sing her songs during the audition process.

She adds, "Totally not true! Are you kidding? That's great publicity for me.

It's like 40 million people. I'm not an idiot!"