VIDEO: Fallen Idol Pia Toscano: 'Mark Ballas Is A Sweet Guy.. We're Just Friends'

April 14 2011, Published 8:40 a.m. ET

American Idol's Pia Toscano tells Ellen Thursday that she and Dancing with the Stars hunk Mark Ballas are "just friends."

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Pia’s ouster from the Fox hit last week came as a shock, as she’d built up strong buzz as a favorite to win with her star power, beauty and talent.

Host Ellen DeGeneres told the recently-eliminated finalist, "You have the most beautiful voice ... I hope everybody is looking at this going, we got to vote for people, because I think that people thought you had it made.

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"I think a lot of people thought she's set: She has a great voice, but I think you are going to have a career. You have such a beautiful voice and now you have a very handsome boyfriend, I understand ... how is that going?”

"I'm really just focusing right now on my music," the 22-year-old New Yorker said. "I just met Ballas ... he's a very sweet guy ... we're just friends."

"Uh huh, whatever," Ellen joked.