Abdul said she was trying not to hurt the dog when she fell

Abdul told US TV show Extra she had torn cartilage, fractured her toe and bruised her arm, chest and waist. "All from my little chubby Tulip," she said.

The former pop star, 44, is recovering and will appear on American Idol's grand finale this Wednesday, said her publicist, David Brokaw.

"She's a little sore, but is doing fine," he added.

The dog was not hurt in the incident.

Choreographer

Abdul started her career as a cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers, where her dance routines soon attracted the attention of the pop world.

She worked on videos and performances for stars like Prince, Janet Jackson and George Michael - and also choreographed sequences in films like Coming To America, Jerry Maguire and American Beauty.

Abdul scored a US number one with her debut single, Straight Up

In 1988, she launched her own pop career and had a run of chart successes in the UK with singles such as Straight Up, Opposites Attract and Rush Rush.

After the hits dried up, Abdul was drafted into American Idol, where she acts as a moderating influence on the acerbic Simon Cowell.

In 2005, the Grammy Award-winning performer was cleared of privately coaching one of the show's contestants.

Corey Clark claimed that he was helped by Abdul while they conducted a secret affair.

Abdul denied being involved with Clark, who was ejected from the second series in 2003 for concealing a previous arrest.

The star is signed up to appear on the TV talent search for another two years.