Former "American Idol" judge Paula Abdul said that being perceived as stupid was one of the most annoying misperceptions people have about her.

Abdul, 48, who returns to television next week with her own dance reality competition show, also insisted that she was naturally goofy and that her sometimes volatile public behavior was not the result of drugs or alcohol.

"I AM intelligent, I AM," Abdul told Julie Chen in an interview to be broadcast on "CBS Sunday Morning."

"But, people don't give you enough credit for having a brain," Chen replied, according to a transcript released on Thursday.'

"Having a brain, that's a concept, yes, with Paula Abdul. I have a brain," Abdul said.

Abdul was an "American Idol" judge for eight years before quitting the TV singing contest in 2009 in a contract dispute. Her often odd behavior on the show sparked rumors about drug taking.

But the dancer and singer told Chen; "I've never had a drinking problem. Even though I've been in this business for quite some time. I've never physically been drunk in my life. I've never been drunk in my life. I don't use recreational drugs. But, I am goofy."

"It's Paula. It is Paula. And, even the people on 'Idol' know that none of that existed, ever," she said.

Abdul's "Live to Dance" TV show starts on CBS on Jan 4.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

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