Ricki-Lee reveals a sandwich to the face was what made her quit the Young Diva’s

The Australian Idol host has shared the real reason she left the iconic Young Divas, which was getting a sandwich hurled at her face by a team member behind the scenes.

"Young Divas" (l-r) Ricki Lee Coulter with Emily Williams, Kate DeAraugo and Paulini Curuenavuli in 2006.

Australian Idol host and hit-maker Ricki-Lee Coulter has revealed she resolved to quit the singing group the Young Divas after having an egg and lettuce sandwich thrown in her face by a member of the group’s behind the scenes team.

Coulter joined the Young Divas with Kate DeAraugo, Emily Williams, Paulini Curuenavuli, in 2006 but left after a year.

She said she had made it clear from the outset she was not in the group for the long haul and would leave and return to her solo career after the Diva’s tour wrapped.

But the success of the group took everyone by surprise.

Growing frustrations between Coulter and a member of the group’s behind the scenes team came to a head when she lost her voice and was told by her throat specialist she had to miss a show and not speak for a week.

Members of singing group "Young Divas" Paulini Curuenavuli, Kate DeAraugo, Emily Williams and Ricki-Lee Coulter at Australian Idol finale in 2006.

“I had to have a sit down with one of the guys in charge,” Coulter told the Journey Through Aussie Pop podcast.

“He was so enraged he lost his mind. Think about it, I am a 20-year-old girl, very new to this whole thing, having an adult conversation with a grown a*se man, and his reaction .. he was yelling and screaming at me and then he threw a sandwich in my face.

“That was very much the end of it for me; an egg and lettuce sandwich to the face.”

Coulter said there was no drama between her and the other ‘Divas’.

“We got along, we had fun, we were like this little travelling family,” she said.

“I had been very clear all along (that she would leave the group) but towards the end they, of course, wanted it to keep going, so didn’t want me to leave.

“But I also found it interesting that they acted shocked publicly when I left. They acted like they didn’t know and said they didn’t know, but that was not true.

“They knew towards the end that I was already working on my own music, getting back to working on my second album.

“I get it, they were continuing it on and they had to do what they had to do. It was totally fine.”