Kara DioGuardi has admitted that she struggled during her first series of American Idol.

The singer-songwriter told Billboard that she had no clue about fashion or how to conduct herself whilst on such a high profile show.

DioGuardi explained: “Last year was really difficult. I don’t think people understood what it took to go from the back of the studio, writing, to ‘Lights! Camera! Action!’

“I was wearing Gap sweat pants and a wife beater up until six months ago. I look back on last year and I see bad hair and the wrong accessories. I was moving as fast as anyone could move and learning as I went. You know, ‘Maybe I’ll try a ponytail this week?’ Oh, no. ‘Maybe I’ll tease it up like Peg Bundy?’ Uh, that doesn’t look good.”

She continued: “There were moments when we were doing the show and I’d forget I was on television. I remember some guy was heckling me and I said, ‘You know, shut the F – oh, wait a minute, I’m on national television’.

“I think toward the end I got more feisty and opinionated. In the beginning I was like, ‘That’s great! Paula? What do you think?’ Because I wanted the camera off me.”