SUBO REBORN IN THE USA
Sparkling with youthful glitz, Susan Boyle’s back on talent show that launched her career
NEARLY a decade has passed since the shy spinster from West Lothian told a sniggering TV audience of her dream to be a global superstar.
But Susan Boyle proved them all so wrong – and how.
A spine-tingling rendition of I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables catapulted her to fame – and a £22million fortune.
Now ‘SuBo’ is back on the talent show that launched her on the world stage with a glamorous new look and hopes of putting some fresh spark in her career.
The singer looked far younger than her 57 years as she appeared on an allstar US version of Britain’s Got Talent on Monday, where she first stunned viewers with her incredible voice a decade ago.
America’s Got Talent: The Champions brings back famous contestants from both the UK and US versions of the show over the past few years, including tenor Paul Potts. As she took to the stage, Miss Boyle was greeted with a smile by judge Simon Cowell – also her record label boss – who joked: ‘And what’s your name?’
He added: ‘It brings back so many great memories having you back. I can’t think of any other contestant who has defined this show better than you.’
Miss Boyle, who came second in BGT in 2009 to dance act Diversity, admitted she ‘couldn’t possibly walk away from a second chance to prove myself’.
She blew the crowd away with her rendition of the Rolling Stones track Wild Horses, with former Spice Girl Mel B pushing her ‘golden buzzer’ to send Miss Boyle straight to the final. ‘It’s great to be back,’ said the singer, dazzling in a sequined blue gown, with fine pearls, statement rings and a classy ‘up’ hairdo.
Alluding to her rags to riches story, she told viewers she felt like ‘a champion for those who maybe don’t have confidence to do things’. Nicknamed Susie Simple at school, Miss Boyle suffered years of torment before plucking up the courage to take six buses to a BGT audition.
After being laughed at by a pessimistic audience, she wowed viewers with her unexpected vocal range. Despite amassing a huge fortune and selling 20 million albums Miss Boyle, who has never been in a relationship, still lives in the £65,000 former council house where she grew up in Blackburn, West Lothian. Shunning extravagances, splashing out for her means a £300 coat or an ‘occasional’ bottle of Chanel No 5.
She has lost more than two stone by walking to the local shops every day and avoiding biscuits and sweets. But fame hasn’t been easy for the singer.
In the last few years, Miss Boyle was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and Asperger’s Syndrome. The youngest of nine siblings, she has also admitted her fortune and fame created ‘conflict’ with the family.
And in 2017, it was reported the singer was taunted, intimidated and attacked by a gang of up to 15 youngsters near her home.