The Untold Truth Of Susan Boyle

The world was introduced to Susan Boyle in 2009 on Britain's Got Talent. She was thrust into stardom, literally overnight, as her voice caught the attention of the world, and she has been in the spotlight ever since. While she is, of course, memorable due to her angelic-yet-powerful vocal talent, she also taught the world a lesson about judging a book by its cover. She helped remind many people around the world that a superstar doesn't need to fit into any boxes. Any preconceived notion of what a star should look and act like was thrown out the window the moment Susan Boyle started singing — a much-needed lesson for us all.

From her amazing sound to her well-known love for Donny Osmond, Boyle is a celebrity with a quirky side. She has been open in the past about her health struggles and her family drama, but what is there that fans don't know about the famous singer? Let's take a look at some untold truths about the one-of-a-kind Susan Boyle.

It would be easy for this famous singer to view her success as pay-back to all of those kids who used to bully her in school, but that's not how she sees it. Boyle spoke to this point during an interview on Piers Morgan Tonight when he asked if she felt a sense of vindication after her success on Britain's Got Talent, to which she replied that one of her songs called "You'll See" sums it up well. Enough said!

But, despite proudly showing the bullies what she's made of, Boyle doesn't hold on to any prior bad feelings. In fact, she has been in contact with some of those  bullies from her past. She revealed to Morgan, "I've since had very nice relationships with some of those bullies who've grown up. ... That is a happy ending." What was her thought when these past classmates first contacted her? "Okay, they've grown up. They were just silly kids."

Boyle is a major Madonna fan. Sure, she loves the music, but her reason for being such a big fan goes deeper. Boyle reflected on this fact with The Huffington Post UK, sharing, "When I was ill, at the very beginning, they gave me some albums to listen to. They were all Madonna, and she actually helped me. She helped me get through that."

And now, Boyle has reached a level of fame that it seems Madonna could even appreciate. Though admittedly, Boyle is doubtful about any key similarities between the two singers. She continued, "Madonna is a legend, and I have L-plates on my back. So, to compare me with Madonna is a bit unfair, but I'm a great admirer of hers."

This singer has been through a lot and doesn't let rude and negative comments get the best of her. In fact, she doesn't like the word "negative" one bit. "Negativity, that's a bit of a swear word," she told The Huffington Post UK. "Negativity can always be turned on its head, and made into a positive. There is always a silver lining, and there's a lot of good that counteracts the bad."

To avoid focusing on the dreaded negative, Boyle works hard to be good at what she does. She shared, "People write things about you, people may say things about you but they can't hurt you. Because if you do your job well, and people like what you do, that counteracts the bad. And turns it around, into a good thing. Into a positive thing."

Fun fact: Boyle is a big fan of musicals. She discussed this love during an interview with Female First, describing what this form of art brings to her life. She said, "The theatre is a sanctuary for me and I especially love the way stories are communicated through the lyrics and the music, it taps all emotions and senses."

So the ultimate moment for someone like Boyle might even perhaps be a musical of her own and that is just what happened. I Dreamed a Dream, the musical that tells the story of Boyle's life, began previews in 2012. 

The singer spoke with Female First about her first thoughts on the musical, saying, "It really blew me away. I never thought for a second people would want to come and watch that. It was a great honour. I will also admit it was hard to watch, I found it very emotional to see my parents especially portrayed on stage but after a couple of shows I learned to love that part as it was done so sensitively."

One fact that has been featured in the news about Boyle is her health and her diagnosis of Asperger's, yet fans may not know or have expected her reaction to this diagnosis. Boyle spoke with the Observer (via The Hollywood Reporter) about her sense of relief when she received the news. "I have always known that I have had an unfair label put upon me," she said. "Now I have a clearer understanding of what's wrong and I feel relieved and a bit more relaxed about myself."

And with that sense of peace, Boyle has been able to move forward and better understand who she is. "Asperger's doesn't define me. It's a condition that I have to live with and work through, but I feel more relaxed about myself. People will have a much greater understanding of who I am and why I do the things I do."

When Boyle looks back on her first audition for Britain's Got Talent, she doesn't always think about the success that was about to begin. As she shared on Today, her first thoughts actually were, "What the heck are you wearing?" She then went even further, saying, "I mean, I walked on dressed like a cake.... I thought, what the heck were you thinking about? I mean, it was like a doily in legs."

The singer though realized she was different inside as well. She said watching the audition back, she could see that she "lacked confidence." She sees her own evolution and is happy with it. She continued, "Look at me. There's a complete contrast, and that's good."

A person has to have a certain level of wealth to own two houses — and imagine if those houses were just minutes from each other. This may be the case for Boyle, but the wealth has never gone to her head. One house is the house she grew up in, and the other is a new home she purchased after her breakout success from appearing on Britain's Got Talent.

While her new home is a bit bigger, she actually spends more time in her childhood home. She described her reasoning with Today, saying, "The big house down the street isn't really me, 'cause I'm not the type of person to live in a big mansion. When I'm back in this space, well, my mom and dad, I still feel close to them. I still have a lot of nice memories in this house. I feel, this is my comfort zone."

Through the amazing and difficult times, Boyle has always had her faith. She credits that faith for the success she has reached in her career, sharing with The Christian Post, "My faith is incredibly important to me on every level. It gets me through those moments of self-doubt and also allows me to understand that this gift of my career, later in life, is from a higher power."

She continued on to say that she still regularly goes to church. "I find that my religion gives me a direction in life and brings great happiness."

As fame has continued to grow for Boyle, she has stayed consistent. Throughout interviews and each big moment, she continues to be humble about her success. As Boyle shared on Piers Morgan Tonight, her mother taught her "Christian values" that help keep her humble. Though her mother passed away before seeing Boyle achieve real success, her values live on. In part, her mother taught her, "how to put yourself in other people's shoes, how to give it your best even when things are really tough."

In October 2010, the notoriously private Boyle gave fans a proper glimpse into her fascinating life story with the release of her book The Woman I Was Born To Be: My Story, which charted her rise from Scottish suburb-dweller to world-conquering megastar. In the lively tome, SuBo admits to being terrified on Britain's Got Talent. "I knew what they were thinking. 'Just look at her! She's got a bum like a garage, a head like a mop ... she cannae sing. Well, come on, let's hear you then,' " she wrote (via The Independent, whose review describes the book as "refreshingly revelatory and spirit-inspiring").

One of the most surprising revelations is that Boyle fled a previous audition for rival U.K. talent show The X Factor because she felt less attractive than the other hopefuls. However, she gradually learned to be confident, writing, "every time I got a frisson of fear I tried to remember what Frank Quinn was always telling me. Susan, believe in yourself. You are the person writing your story," (via Good Housekeeping). 

For professional singers in the U.K. there are few venues more prestigious than the Royal Albert Hall in London. The historic building has been the setting for the celebrated Proms concerts each year since 1941, and frequently features music from movies including the Harry Potter and James Bond series. The classy spot was also the location for Kylie Minogue's lively Christmas concert series, A Kylie Christmas (held in 2015, and again the following year). 

In 2013, Boyle herself took to the stage among the greats. Alongside an Instagram photo of the glammed-up singer standing outside her dressing room, her team captioned, "yesterday was the first time Susan sang at the Royal Albert Hall. ...Two years ago driving past the hall Susan said that one day she would like to perform there. ...Yesterday this became a reality!" YouTube videos highlight how special the night was for performer and audience alike as Boyle kept everybody captivated. 

Following her Asperger's diagnosis, after which years of inner struggle suddenly make sense, Boyle had a major health scare in 2014 when a doctor diagnosed her with type 2 diabetes. This led the Scottish singer to completely overhaul her lifestyle. In an interview with The Mirror, she noted, "I needed to stop eating sweeties and cakes. It's the bane of my life. I had to lose the weight for my health." 

Boyle subsequently dropped a massive two stone (close to 30 pounds), explaining how she gets plenty of cardio in. "I walk two miles every day, to Tesco and back. That has helped me lose weight," advised the singer. SuBo also explained how her faith helps her to keep things in perspective, especially when such challenges threaten to drag her mood down. "It's made me realize nothing is impossible. It can be downright difficult, but not impossible," she confidently told the publication.

Boyle may have struggled to find the right partner but she continues to be infatuated with her chosen career. In a 2016 interview with The Telegraph, Boyle confirmed she'd signed another three-album deal, enthusing, "I'm raring to go, doing what I love." Looking ahead to the future, SuBo noted confidently, "the old Susan did plenty of daft things; the new Susan's more confident, adult and patient."

In December 2018, a news piece suggested 2019 would signal her comeback — a full decade after audiences first fell in love with the Scottish singer. The Irish Mirror quoted a source close to her as noting, "this is a big year for Susan and she is very much stepping back into the limelight" with Cowell reportedly instrumental in her return. For his part, the reformed Mr. Nasty told Variety in August 2018 that he really regrets how he initially treated Boyle. "When that clip [of her audition] arrived on my laptop, and I saw me, I said, 'I actually hate my guts right now,'" he admitted.  

Fans of SuBo know she's quick with a witty line (even if her comedy isn't always intentional). But the last place anybody expected the talent show alum to pop up was alongside really really really ridiculously good looking high fashion models Derek and Hansel in the farcical 2016 sequel Zoolander 2. Not only did Boyle feature, she damn near stole the show, appearing in a hilarious cameo that finds her stealing the limelight from the disgraced stars and then flipping the photographers off for good measure.

In their ranking of all 22(!) celebrity appearances in the movie, E! News put Boyle at a not unreasonable 15, beating out the high-profile likes of Skrillex, Katie Couric, and Kristen Wiig (Anna Wintour claimed the number one spot, which, considering it's a movie about the fashion world, makes a certain amount of sense). Speaking about her work on the film with The Telegraph, Boyle described the experience as "so fun," but advised she had no plans to head back to the silver screen as music is still her focus.

Given how proud she is of her homeland, it makes sense Boyle was inducted into the Scottish Music Hall of Fame. In December 2018, as the SSE Scottish Music Awards show marked its 20th anniversary with a massive celebration in Glasgow, Boyle was given the honor. "I'm very humbled,"  she told The Sun. Boyle also opened the celebration with a rendition of The Rolling Stones track "Wild Horses," telling the publication she was "excited but nervous" ahead of the performance.

Writing on Instagram, Boyle espoused the meaning of the event to her personally, as a performer. "I am thrilled to be performing at this year's SSE Scottish Music Awards and to be opening the show is fantastic. The Scots are one of the best audiences in the world, so being in my home country on the SEC stage will be wonderful. I'm so incredibly honored and speechless that I will be inducted into the Scottish Music Hall of Fame," she gushed. 

Boyle kicked off her 2019 in style with a much-hyped appearance on America's Got Talent: The Champions. After performing "Wild Horses" once again, the Scot was awarded the coveted Golden Buzzer. After being embraced on stage by host Terry Crews, Boyle said through tears of joy that she was "happy and very humbled." The singer advised viewers, in a pre-taped package earlier in the show (via ET), that "Britain's Got Talent absolutely changed my life. People saw me as somebody quite ordinary. ... This has helped me fulfill the dream I've had since I was five."

On why she returned to Champions, Boyle was characteristically upfront, explaining, "I think I'm a champion for maybe those who don't have the confidence to do things, for those who don't have a voice and for those who people tend to ignore. ... I'm a champion for them." Writing on Instagram, SuBo gushed about how thrilled she was to be invited onto the show, and to perform for Cowell again. "The crowd's reaction was unbelievable and to then have the golden buzzer... well I was truly speechless," she noted.