
Paula Abdul Feels for Shawn Johnson

Mar. 30 2009, Published 8:26 a.m. ET
There must be something about reality TV stars that appeals too much to certain fans – a few months ago Paula Abdul fanatic Paula Goodspeed intentionally overdosed outside the American Idol judge's home, and now a man has been arrested for allegedly stalking Dancing With the Stars contestant, gymnast Shawn Johnson.
Paula tells Entertainment Tonight she feels "a tremendous amount of empathy" for Shawn Johnson, after Robert O'Ryan was charged with stalking the 17-year-old and showing up at the studios where DWTS is filmed.
"Having gone through that myself, it's just unnerving and off-putting to know that somebody obsessed has weapons and wants to do harm," she says.