The Real Reason American Idol's Andrea Valles Wears An Eye Patch

Andrea Valles passed her first audition in front of the judges and has made it all the way to the top 24. On April 4, 2021, half of the top 24 contestants performed duets with celebrities. Valles sang a cover of George Michael's "Careless Whisper" with R&B legend Brian McKnight. But it was Valles look, not her performance, that garnered the most buzz during this show-stopping episode. That's because Valles was wearing an eye patch — and a bedazzled one, at that.

Valles emerged onstage wearing the pink, bejeweled accessory over her left eye. While it initially appeared to be a style choice in the vein of TLC's Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Valles clarified in an on-camera interview that it was actually for a medical reason.

In an interview with McKnight, Valles revealed she has been wearing an eye patch following a retina detachment surgery she underwent prior to the episode. While it remains to be seen if the eye patch will become a staple of Valles' appearance, she does not seem to have any hiccups about wearing it. "Things are going to happen," she said on the show, "but you got to learn to push through and just roll with the punches." While she certainly has a positive outlook on the whole situation, we wish Valles a speedy recovery!

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