This we week are...

trying to be a bit more SuBo

It’s ten years since Susan Boyle’s unforgettable Britain’s Got Talent debut, and watching footage of her now famous audition still makes powerful viewing.

Simon Cowell’s eye-rolling and the sniggers from the audience as Susan, then 47, explains she dreams of being a professional singer, are a horrible example of how cruel people can be. But it also has something else to teach us... When Susan begins to sing, a magical alchemy ripples through the Glasgow auditorium.

The judges’ mouths drop open in astonishment and when the camera pans over the crowd, their faces are glowing with admiration.

The YouTube video has been viewed a staggering 680 million times and I can see why it still strikes a universal chord.

Here is a woman being ridiculed and pitied on national TV, purely because of how she looks.

As we know SuBo, as she is now affectionately known across the globe, has had the last laugh.

Now an international superstar, she has sold 25 million albums, has two Grammy nominations and has performed for the Queen.

Reflecting on this “unbelievable rollercoaster”, Susan tells us (on pages 6&7) she hopes she has been a positive role model for anyone struggling with self-doubt.

She says: “I hope they’ll look at me and say, ‘Maybe I’ll give it a go, too’.

“It doesn’t matter your age or anything else.”

For someone bullied for being “different”, Susan’s success is a powerful reminder that we should all believe in ourselves a bit more, and care a little less about what other people think.