Posted by Adam

Thursday April 22, 2010

ELLEN DeGeneres is on the verge of a breakdown, insiders say.

The 52-year-old star is said to be struggling with the demands of being an American Idol judge and hosting her own TV program, The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

“We fear she’s headed for a total breakdown,” a source told American tabloid the National Enquirer.

“When she strips away her TV makeup, you can see the stress in her face. She looks gaunt and pale. We’re afraid she has cracked under the pressure.”

Ellen — who’s married to actress Portia de Rossi – is also struggling to deal with tension between herself and fellow Idol judge Simon Cowell.

“Simon was pretty welcoming when Ellen first signed on, but now she’s become his whipping post for anything that’s not working on the show,” said the pal.

“It’s really eating her up insider.”

“She’s running herself ragged,” the source added. “She tries to eat right, exercise and take vitamins, but we’re worried her health is suffering and the nice life she’s created with Portia is in jeopardy.

“You can see the stress building in her. She’s no always her bouncy, vibrant self. She’s snippy with people, is more easily distracted and needs a few more minutes of makeup to deal with the bags under her eyes.

“She’s spreading herself so thin, it seems like a recipe for disaster.”

Tags: american idol, ellen degeneres