By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Kelly Clarkson says she was miserable inside and out for 4 years
d8b0ae2613813e769b51340de8ffc8778feba0f45f8326615c3d3d803954830e
In this Monday, Nov. 5, 2012 photo, musician Kelly Clarkson poses for a portrait in Los Angeles. Clarkson's newest album, "Greatest Hits: Chapter One," is releasing on Monday, Nov. 19, 2012. (Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision/AP) - photo by Herb Scribner
Kelly Clarkson said in a recent interview that being skinny doesnt always mean youll be happy.

The former American Idol winner spoke with Attitude magazine this week about her struggles with her weight, saying she hated her life when she was skinny.

Specifically, she said the years promoting her 2004 breakout album Breakaway were a very dark time.

When I was really skinny, I wanted to kill myself, she said. I was miserable, like inside and out, for four years of my life. But no one cared, because aesthetically you make sense.

Clarkson said shed train at the gym all the time to stay in shape. But soon the heavy workouts wrecked her knees.

She said positive people helped her escape the dark time.

I was around some really negative people, and I got out of it because I had a lot of great people there too. It was a case of turning around, facing them and walking toward the light, she said.

As Time reported, Clarkson later took to Twitter to clarify some of her statements, saying that happiness and health doesnt always equate to skinny bodies.

Just to clear something up. I wasn't ever miserable because I had to be thin. I said I was miserable & as a result I became thin, she wrote.

She also said, I've never contemplated suicide because of my weight. I said people had no idea I was unhappy oddly enough because I appeared healthy.

Clarkson, who has a new album scheduled for release this Friday, admitted to The New York Times last week that she didnt have fun with her career when she first started out, either, because of some of the pressures of her music career.

But now, with her latest album, one she has always wanted to make, people around her admit they see a happier Clarkson, according to The New York Times.

Ive never seen her so fully happy with herself, personally, professionally, her music, Sharon Dastur, a senior vice president at the radio company iHeartMedia, told The New York Times. I think people have always not only just loved her voice, her music, but her. I think that goes a long way with fans, that shes been the same genuine, super-talented person shes been from the beginning.
Sign up for our e-newsletters
New Medicare cards are in the mail and scammers are on the prowl
15a28f62e4e53fcceb32746533cbdfdf48abb7c7d42a28dbb1aeb1083721f23b
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has begun mailing new Medicare Health Insurance ID cards. The program no longer uses Social Security numbers to identify people. - photo by Lois M Collins
The federal government is beginning to send out new ID cards to the 58 million Americans who benefit from Medicare. But since many of the people who will receive them don't know they're coming or why, scammers are already gearing up to take advantage.

An AARP survey shows as many as three-fourths of Americans 65 and older have no idea the cards are coming, so some individuals may be duped with claims that they're supposed to pay a fee or provide personal information that will be used, instead, to defraud them.

The new cards are the first reissue in years, and the most striking part of the redesign is that the cards no longer carry the beneficiary's Social Security number. Congress mandated the removal of that number as an identifier for Medicare beneficiaries by next April. Instead, the card has a Medicare Beneficiary Identifier number, an 11-digit combination of numbers and letters.

The new Medicare cards are now being mailed out in batches, starting with the Eastern seaboard and moving west. Most Medicare beneficiaries will receive their cards over the next six months, as long as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has their correct mailing address. Once the cards are in hand, people can share the new identification number with their health care providers. During a transition period, either card is valid.

The old cards, which used Social Security numbers as the personal identification number, should be destroyed.

AARP recently launched an education campaign to warn consumers about scams related to the new Medicare cards.

The membership organization's "Fraud Watch" consultant, Frank Abagnale reformed con man, scammer and the subject of the movie and book "Catch Me If You Can" tells senior citizens the only time they need to carry the actual Medicare card is to health care appointments. Otherwise, it should be left in a safe place. If they want to carry one in their wallet or purse, he says, make a copy and black out the first seven numbers.

Since the cards were announced, scammers have already:

  • Called seniors and asked for their bank account information so that money on their old card could be returned. There is no money on the old card and CMS never asks for personal information over the phone.
  • Offered to send the new card after Medicare beneficiaries pay a $25 fee to cover expenses related to the card. The card is free.
  • Said the card will be mailed out as soon as the older person verifies his or her Social Security number, mailing address and other personal information. CMS already knows the beneficiary's Social Security number and it's no longer being used in conjunction with health care.
AARP and the Federal Trade Commission will hold a free online seminar about the cards and the fraud attempts they have spawned on Thursday, April 19, at 7 p.m. EDT. Register at: www.aarp.org/FraudWebinar. CMS also offers a "frequently asked questions" guide to the new cards.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network says consumers can sign up for its Watchdog Alert emails that deliver breaking scam information, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with volunteers trained in fraud counseling. Abagnale also hosts a weekly podcast for AARP, called The Perfect Scam.
Latest Obituaries