(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Jason Derlo says his girlfriend Jordin Sparks saved him from depression after his spinal injury.

The singer fractured his neck in January while rehearsing dance moves for his Future History tour, which was subsequently put on hold. He spent more than four months wearing a neck brace, but showed he is on the mend with an impressive performance on American Idol on Tuesday night.

Jason has paid tribute to Jordin who shot to fame after winning the sixth season of the talent show for helping him stay strong on the road to recovery.

"Just her being there when she could have been anywhere else in the world was an impact for me," he told FOX411's Pop Tarts column. "I guess the best way to put it is that she was the backbone to the situation, a lot of people get really low into crazy depression and stuff like that but when you have someone it makes everything so much better.

"This experience was crazy because I could literally not be standing here right now. I could really be in a wheelchair or not be here at all in the situation. [The accident] taught me to love life and live everyday like it's your last."

Jason also revealed that he and Jordin can't agree on who should win the latest season of American Idol. The couple have even made a bet on the outcome.

"I would vote for Jessica, I am team Jessica. Jordan is actually team Philip," the 22-year-old explained. "We have this little wager going on... If I win, she has to massage my feet for ten minutes - she hates feet - and if she wins, I have to cook her a meal, and I can't cook for anything."

Jordin took to her Twitter account to reveal her heart was "bursting" with "pride" after watching Jason's performance. (C) Cover Media