Katy Perry in tears as she bids emotional farewell to American Idol

The singer broke down in tears as she mourned the end of an important period of her life.

The star announced her departure from the show earlier this year. Picture: Twitter.

Katy Perry bid an emotional farewell last night to her role on American Idol.

Perry announced in February that she would be leaving the ABC singing competition.

Katy Perry couldn't hold back her emotions during her final appearance on American Idol. Picture: Twitter.

The 39-year-old’s final moments on the show tugged at the heartstrings of everyone in the audience, marking the end of an era that spanned seven years.

Perry waved goodbye to the show alongside her fellow judges Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie, who both appeared just as emotional as their co-star.

After a heartfelt trip down memory lane in the form of a clip featuring her most memorable moments, host Ryan Seacrest asked the star: “Are you sure you want to leave us?”

Perry responded with an emotional nod and struggled to hold back her tears.

She then took to the stage to perform her song What Makes a Woman, which she sang alongside finalist Jack Blocker.

Perry was later moved to tears after Abi Carter was crowned as the season winner.

Tears roll down Perry’s cheeks, who joined the singing competition series as a judge in 2018, as she hugged her fellow judges during Carter’s performance of What Was I Made For by Billie Eilish.

As a tribute to the singer, the ladies of the Top 12 also performed a medley of Perry’s hits.

Meanwhile, earlier this month at the American Idol Top 10 Tastemaker Event at the Aster Hotel in Hollywood, Perry shared insight into her personal life.

The star announced her departure from the show earlier this year. Picture: Twitter.

“I feel really happy and whole and loved, so that’s different for an artist because usually you’re writing songs out of pain,” she said. “But I actually think that’s kind of the biggest lie that any artist has been sold, is that you have to stay in pain in order to be a great creator.

“Actually, you can be happy and have a life and have a family and still contribute really great things to the world, so it’s going to be, I think the music’s going to be reflective of that love and joy.”

Perry welcomed her daughter, Daisy Dove, with fiancé Orlando Bloom in August 2020.

Perry acknowledged that balancing the joys of motherhood with being an international pop star can be tricky.

“The challenge is the balance of it, finding balance being a matriarch, being a mother, being a boss, being an artist, being a creator, being a leader,” she said. “The opportunity is there to find that balance.

“And the rewarding [part] is just the love, the unconditional love that everybody talks about. It’s a massive cliche, but that is actually it,” she joked.

“Like you climb all these mountains to see the view, and you think that that’s the view that you’re looking for. And honestly, for me, it’s not until I had my child that I realised, actually this is the view I’ve been looking for.”