Details About Susan Boyle's Messy Family Feud That Began Because Of Her Stardom

Susan Boyle's fame came at a great price. The beloved singer burst onto the scene in the third season of "Britain's Got Talent" in 2009 and came very close to tasting victory after delivering a whole slew of angelic performances. Unfortunately, Susan's talents came just a bit short to dance group Diversity's, who were ultimately crowned the winners. Nonetheless, she walked away from the show as a fan favorite and became a household name shortly afterward with the release of Susan's bestselling debut album "I Dreamed A Dream." According to Express, Susan raked in a £5 million fortune in her debut year as a professional singer alone. 

However, her fame and fortune disturbed the Scot's peaceful family life. As reported by The Mirror, in 2013, Susan's nephew, Alan, spread a false rumor that her older brother, Gerry Boyle, had threatened to take his life unless she gave him £50,000, so she had no choice but to oblige him. Naturally, Gerry wasn't too pleased, but he was even more annoyed by the fact that Susan still wanted to keep Alan in her life, despite all the hurt he had caused. Gerry shared his feelings from the time in 2016, admitting, "I was horrified that anyone would suggest I'd blackmail her or threaten suicide." 

He continued, "Susan has been very generous to us all but I haven't been greedy. I felt she could have done more to defend me." However, Gerry notably told a slightly different story about the reason behind their feud at another stage. 

While speaking to The Mirror in 2014, Gerry Boyle explained that his feud with his younger sister, Susan Boyle, was caused by a larger conflict within their family. Gerry claimed that their relatives had split into two camps after Susan rose to fame because they had differing opinions on how she should handle her fortune. In his 2016 chat with the publication, Gerry confirmed that his sister had hired some of her relatives and supported them financially in many ways. However, Gerry was suspicious of some of their motivations since they hadn't really been a part of their lives until Susan achieved her stunning net worth. According to Gerry's 2014 account, Susan had already given him over £250,000 to help him run his business, Instant World, and she wanted to add more to the hefty sum to help Gerry out of a sticky situation. 

However, he soon learned that Susan had supposedly told their relatives that she had no choice but to give him the money because he had threatened to commit suicide. Gerry claimed that the "Britain's Got Talent" breakout sobbed as she confessed to spreading the false rumors. "She knows better than anyone that I would never commit suicide — that's ridiculous," he reasoned. "But when my sister Bridie and nephew Alan started asking questions she felt she needed to give a reason why she gave me the cash and not them."

In the 2014 Mirror article, a rep for Susan Boyle denied the claim that she had started the rumors about Gerry Boyle's suicide threat. "The story about Mr. Boyle's alleged suicide bid was true," they asserted, adding, "Mr. Boyle, acting with his brother and partner, did pressurize and threaten suicide if Susan did not pay yet another large amount of money to him, £50,000." While the reason for Susan's family rift remains a bit murky, fortunately, one thing is crystal clear: Susan and Gerry didn't let it drive them apart for too long. 

In April 2016, Susan had an emotional breakdown at Heathrow Airport and was later hospitalized. Speaking to The Mirror a couple of months later, Gerry shared that his sister had left him an uncharacteristically sad voicemail after her breakdown that caused him to worry about her. "We hadn't spoken for two and a half years but when all is said and done I am her brother. I realized how sad it was that we didn't speak — and that it shouldn't be that way," Gerry recalled.

It didn't take him long to reach out to his sister, and they ended up mending fences shortly afterward. Gerry was thrilled to report that he had even introduced Susan to his grandson. While the "Britain's Got Talent" fan favorite's family may have once been at odds over her wealth, it seems like she hasn't let it get to her head at all because Susan still lives in her mom's house despite her multi-millionaire status.

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