There are few people who haven’t seen Susan Boyle’s legendary audition on Britain’s Got Talent 14 years ago. The singer shocked the crowd, viewers, and the jury with her version of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Misérables and was given the golden buzzer, heading straight to the finals.
At age 47, her life changed overnight, and Susan Boyle became a worldwide phenomenon. Still, while success and celebrity status surely make things easier, the formerly-unemployed charity worker had many struggles that shaped her life.
Susan Boyle is now making a living through her music, but it wasn’t too long ago that her life could have taken a severe turn. In fact, just recently, she revealed she had a stroke – and it left her fearing for the worst.
In 2009, Susan Boyle was an unemployed charity worker living alone with her cat, Pebbles, but had wanted to fulfil her biggest dream for a very long time. At age 47, she wanted to see if she could make it in show business and decided to take a leap of faith. After performing I Dreamed a Dream from Les Misérables in front of Simon Cowell and the rest of the Britain’s Got Talent judges, she became a star overnight.
The underdog audition made her instantly recognizeable worldwide; today, she’s got more money and fame than anyone could ever dream of.
“I used to be a kind of spectator looking outward at the world. But now I’m part of that world and, though frightening, I’m going to embrace it,” Boyle said.
Susan Boyle
Even though this was remarkable for Susan, her life hasn’t been as easy as one might think. She later revealed how she’d been bullied as a child and incorrectly diagnosed with a learning disability. Not only that, but following her audition, which captured the hearts of music lovers worldwide, she experienced tough times with family and herself.
Susan Boyle was born on April 1, 1961. Her parents – Patrick Boyle, a miner, WWII veteran, and singer, and Bridget, a shorthand typist – were immigrants from County Donegal, Ireland. Boyle grew up as the youngest of four brothers and six sisters.
The family lived in a council house in West Lothian, Scotland. To this day, Susan still lives in the area after buying the property next door to her childhood home.
Boyle’s early life was problematic. She was deprived of oxygen, and later, she developed learning difficulties. At the time her teachers (and much of society in general) were ignorant regarding children with learning disabilities, and she’s spoken out previously about how she was beaten by her teachers, as well as taunted by classmates.
However, once she had become a household name, Boyle was told she had been misdiagnosed. In reality, it was Asperger’s Syndrome she had and an above-average IQ. She was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in 2013.
“You’re looking at someone who would get the belt every day… ‘Will you shut up, Susan!’ – whack!” she told the Mirror.
“I was often left behind at school because of one thing or another,” she continued. “I was a slow learner. I’m just a wee bit slower at picking things up than other people. So you get left behind in a system that just wants to rush on, you know? That was what I felt was happening to me.”
Fantastic audition on ‘Britain’s Got Talent’
While her school life was tough, Boyle found music was her escape. As her father was a singer, the girl became an active church choir member and auditioned for several television shows.
The years went by, but even though nothing happened with her music career, Susan always had the support of her friends and family.
“My family were the ones who were so supportive and pushed me to do something more with my life and my mother, in particular, was the driving force who made me promise I would do something with my voice and my life,” she said.
In 2009, when Britain’s Got Talent held its auditions, Susan Boyle’s friends and family again urged her to participate. It would change her life forever, as most of us know by this point.
However, just one year before the magical audition in front of Simon Cowell and the rest of the jury, Susan Boyle and her family were struck by tragedy when her mother, Bridget, passed away at age 91.
Susan and Bridget had always been very close, and her passing was a tragedy for the singer, who began having panic attacks.
“I was very lonely and very upset. There was a kind of numbness to begin with, because you don’t know what’s happening, but then it hit me like a ton of bricks. My health went down,” she told Irish Central.
“I had panic attacks and felt I couldn’t cope. I didn’t eat or sleep properly. I’d had everything done for me. But the rest of my family helped pull me through. I think I still struggle with my independence a bit, because I depended on my mother so much – although I have a lot more help nowadays.”
Susan Boyle – awards, net worth
Despite the very tough year, Susan Boyle audited for Britain’s Got Talent. She blew everyone away with her rendition of I Dreamed a Dream, received a standing ovation, and the rest is history.
Even though Susan Boyle didn’t win – she came second in Britain’s Got Talent – her career got a crazy start. Her debut album, released in November 2009, sold over two million copies during the first week, making it the fastest-selling debut album by a female artist in UK history.
Now, 14 years later, Boyle has sold more than 25 million albums. She’s received two Grammy nominations, broken 3 Guinness World Records, had No.1 albums in 40 plus countries, 128 platinum and gold album certifications, and three or more number-one albums in the UK.
It’s safe to say that Susan Boyle turned her life around in a pretty solid way. She is said to have a net worth of $40 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
While life was perfect, with Susan Boyle’s career going straight to the top, she began having health issues. Firstly, Susan was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes as her career just starting picking up. Doctors told her that her health concerns could potentially threaten her ability to perform live.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin to function properly, or the body’s cells don’t react to insulin.
The Scottish singer, who still lives in her childhood home, has been living a healthier lifestyle free of sugar ever since she received the worrying diagnosis. She wanted to give her body the best possible chance in battling the condition, so she made a significant change.
“I need to stop eating sweeties and cakes. It’s the bane of my life,” Boyle told the Mirror then.
Susan Boye reveals she suffered a stroke
Susan Boyle lost her father in 1999 and her sister, Kathleen, in 2000. In 2015, she was struck with another tragedy as her older sister, Bridgit, passed away after being diagnosed with cancer.
The successful singer decided to take a break from her career, but luckily, she returned and continued to do what she loved most: Singing.
As of today, Susan Boyle continues giving her fans joy with her beautiful voice. However, her health issues would continue casting a shadow over her life, and in 2022, Boyle feared that her career would be over for good.
In June of 2023, Susan Boyle returned to the Britain’s Got Talent stage, where it all began. She once again performed her spine-tingling version of I Dreamed a Dream. The performance received ovations from both the crowd and jury members, including Simon Cowell, who was there when it all began for the then-47-year-old.
However, after the performance, Susan Boyle revealed she had suffered a stroke in 2022.
“It feels great [to be back]. It is extra special for me, actually, because last April there, I suffered a minor stroke. I have fought like crazy to get back on stage. And I have done it,” she said.
Cowell replied, “Susan, we owe you so much, and I knew you weren’t well, but if anyone was going to come back, you were going to come back because it wouldn’t be the same without you.”
Later on, on her Instagram page, Susan Boyle wrote an emotional post about her stroke, saying that she was afraid that she would never sing again.
“My hard work and perseverance paid off”
“Tonight I had the privilege of returning to @bgt and performing with the wonderful cast of @lesmizofficial,” Boyle wrote, alongside photos of the social performance.
“This evening was even more special for me as in April of 2022 I had a stroke. For the past year I have worked so hard to get my speech and singing back, with the sole aim of being able to sing on stage again & tonight my hard work & perseverance paid off, singing the song that started it all, I Dreamed A Dream…”
Now, Susan Boyle is finally back with her new touring show, celebrating an incredible decade in the music industry. In early December, Boyle also made a remarkable performance as she joined legendary performer Donny Osmond on stage for an exceptional duet performance during his Glasgow concert.
In a video of the special moment, Osmond was seen thanking Boyle before kissing her on the head.
“That was a treat – thank you, Susan. I love that woman.,” Osmond said.
Later on, Osmond shared a picture of the two on Instagram. It appears she surprised him.
“In Glasgow, Scotland and low and behold, guess who showed up to my concert? My dear friend, Susan Boyle! She was waiting in one of the dressing rooms backstage to go out to the audience, and I heard this angel voice in the hallway,” Osmond wrote.
It’s safe to say that Susan Boyle is back to stay. And hopefully, we will get to hear her sing for many years to come.
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