Kelly Clarkson has found her own idol - country music matriarch Reba
McEntire.
Clarkson, 25, has declared 52-year-old McEntire her musical mother,
hailing her as a "light at the end of the tunnel" and all-round
inspiration.
She tells U.S. chat show host Larry King, "It's just like -
because all of my friends laugh at me, because I look like such an idiot
in the public eye. But, yes, I totally had the posters on my wall and
she's great. She's the light at the end of the tunnel."
The pair initially sang together in 2002 when they performed McEntire's
1993 hit Does He Love You on a post-season American
Idol special. Since then they have produced a hit - their version of
Because Of You from McEntire's new Reba Duets album.