The Idol Journey TM Is Emotionally Draining Chrislyn!

Sad news from Idol HQ. Chrislyn, the teenage contestant on this year’s Australian Idol series who made Cyndi Lauper cry – in a good way – with her interpretation of ‘True Colours’, is apparently not coping very well with the , and was recently allowed by the Idol Gods to visit family in Brisbane in an attempt to cheer the young lass up.

Teenager Chrislyn Hamilton is the latest Australian Idol contestant to crumble under the pressure of Channel 10’s reality television series.

Hamilton was given special permission to travel home to Brisbane to be with her family and friends after concerns were raised that she felt lonely and ostracised from the other contestants

Not that bloody Mark “Sex On Fire” Spano is feeling overly sympathetic toward Chrislyn.

Chrislyn Hamilton said she felt she was recovering.

“Everyone else is growing while I’ve kind of plummeted,” she said. “But I’m coming back up. I’ve tried not to let it show, but I’m the kind of person who can’t hide it. I don’t want to act grown-up because I’m not, but I don’t want to cause grief in the house by acting like an immature person, so I just step back a bit.”

Contestant Mark Spano, 27, admitted Hamilton had been left out, but he said the young singer was annoying at times.

“Chrislyn’s feeling the pressure and she doesn’t know how to deal with it,” he said. “Sometimes she can just be really full-on and in your face constantly. If she’s not like that, she’s just quietly having a sook.”

That’s not very charitable, Mark!

Trust Dicko to sum everything up with a total “if you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen” sound bite.

Judge Ian “Dicko” Dickson said contestants were given plenty of support and that the pressure they felt was simply part of the entertainment business.

“Now she’s in the public eye, it does start to apply the blowtorch a bit about issues of self-esteem, weight and image,” he said. “But welcome to the world of celebrity and the music business, really.”

See, kids? Now remember this next time you see advertisements for Australian Idol auditions on the television and feel somewhat tempted to attend. You probably won’t become rich and famous should you manage to land a spot on the show, but you’re almost guaranteed a breakdown! Sponsored by McDonalds!

MORE: Australian Idol star Chrislyn Hamilton crumbles under pressure