'American Idol' alum Mandisa Hundley shows off her 80-pound weight loss

Mandisa Hundley didn't let weight issues stop her from auditioning for the fifth season of "American Idol." But the singer's joy from making it onto the show soon vanished when sharp-tongued judge Simon Cowell joked that they would need a "bigger stage" to accommodate her.

Now 80 pounds thinner, Hundley tells ETonline.com what it was like to relive the painful memory that was recently replayed on "American Idol Rewind."

"My favorite memory started out as my least favorite memory and that was when Simon Cowell made fun of my weight on the very first show," she said. "That was my worst nightmare come true. When I saw Simon the next time, I told him I forgave him because an important part of my faith is forgiving others because I have been forgiven. I will never forget that reaction: the look on his face - humbled and giving me a big hug."

Though Hundley, 33, didn't go on to win the singing competition, she returned to the recording studio. She says her newest album, called "True Beauty," is about not being defined by the way one looks.

However for Hundley, the way she looked needed a change.

"When I was recording that album, I started to do the work necessary to be set free: changing my eating habits. No particular diet, just eating healthy," she said. "I started working with a personal trainer and a counselor who specializes in eating disorders. I have lost 80 pounds since I started recording."

Among the many changes Hundley had to make in her life, the singer says she cut out tempting Krispy Kreme doughnuts and worked with a personal trainer who makes her do cardio, weight training and a Latin form of dancing called Zumba.

"I don't believe in diets, because I have lost weight on them all, but the thing about diets is that you have the mindset that you stop a diet when you are done losing weight," she said. "This really is a lifestyle change for me."

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