Former American Idol Fantasia Barrino has acid-tongued music mogul Simon Cowell to thank for paying off her debt and saving her Charlotte, North Carolina home from foreclosure last month.

The singer purchased the six-bedroom house in Charlotte in March 2007 for $1.3 million, but nearly lost the property after failing to keep up with mortgage payments.

The Mecklenburg County home was due to be auctioned off by the local Sheriff’s Office on January 12 , but the sale was called off at the last minute after Fanny reached a deal with financiers.

“Very quietly, Simon promised to help Fantasia take care of some of the back payments she owed so the house wouldn’t go on the block,” an informant tells The National Enquirer.

“His offer of monetary support helped her stave off the creditors, at least for the time being. Simon didn’t want to take any credit for it, he just wanted to help her out of a jam. He was hoping to keep his good deed a secret. He didn’t want to cause Fantasia any further public embarrassment.”