Model and TV presenter Seymour, 35, was reportedly attacked outside the Nokia Theatre where the talent show wasrecorded after a fan asked her if she and Cowell were an item.
Seymour, who is still good friends with 48-year-old Cowell, had been covering the finale for
When Thibodeaux, described as a 200 pound woman twice Seymour's size, approached her and asked if she was "that woman off TV", she allegedly grabbed hold of the presenter's head and began choking her.
Police arrived quickly at the scene and dragged the attacker away, before arresting her on suspicion of battery and later releasing her on US$52,700 bail, according to E!
Although badly shaken and disturbed by the showdown, Seymour reportedly refused medical treatment.
"Nothing like this has ever happened to me before."
Describing the attack, she said she was standing outside the theatre with her production team when the fan approached her.
"She came over to me and said, 'You're that girl from TV, right?' And I said, 'Yeah'...The next thing I know, this woman had me in a headlock and tried to choke me.
"I yelled out, 'What are you doing?' and I lunged at her. She let go and took off running.
"The police were fantastic," Seymour said. "They were close by and managed to catch her."
Video: Terri Seymour shortly after the incident
Thibodeaux's clan has already leapt to defend her and tells TMZ.com that she is most definitely "not crazy" and that her behaviour was "way out of character."
Clearly. Model citizen.
Truly, what colour is the sky in this 'fan's' world? Because in ours it's an azure blue and the meadows are bottle green and inhabited by tweety birds and fluffy bunnies.
Seymour and Cowell split in October 2008, having dated since 2002, but have remained close friends and regularly team up for TV interviews and promotion related to
Idol
.
"It was Terri's idea [to break up], not Simon's," Cowell's rep said at the time of their split.
"Simon is doing all right, but they were together a long time and so you can understand that it's going to be a strange time."
Cowell recently admitted that he and his ex speak every day on the phone: "I do call Terri, first, when I've got an issue or I'm moaning about something, or I want to bounce an idea off."
He's also vowed not to date anyone for at least five years - out of respect for Seymour. How's that for
The final song-off between the two is kicking off in the US as we speak, but we'll have to wait until 7:30pm on Friday to find out who triumphed. Read all about it
