Susan Boyle on life, fame & thumb sucking

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By Douglas Wight, 29/11/2009

SOARAWAY superstar Susan Boyle last night insisted she's NOT on the verge of cracking up and insisted: "I'm happy and doing fine."

Fans feared the worst after photos emerged of the Scottish singer sucking her thumb in New York last week.

But SuBo - whose debut album I Dreamed A Dream is set to go in at No1 on both sides of the Atlantic tonight - told the News of the World she did it as a JOKE.

And she added: "I have never been accepted by the world before. Now I DO feel part of it and I find it really exciting.

"I feel very content within myself, and as I'm finally achieving my dream I feel so lucky and privileged. I keep asking myself, 'Is this really happening?' And I keep expecting someone to say, 'Ha ha, love, we're kidding.'"

The spinster, who is enjoying a quiet weekend at home with her cat Pebbles in Blackburn, West Lothian, spent a spell in a Priory clinic after shooting to global stardom on Britain's Got Talent last spring.

Exciting

Now she has now got the fastest selling album in the WORLD under her belt - and is basking in the glow of wowing Britain on ITV's X Factor last Sunday.

But she raised a few eyebrows when she told host Dermot O'Leary in a stilted interview that her life was "bloody fantastic".

Yesterday she pointed out those words were her catchphrase. And she insisted she was loving being famous, telling us: "Everyone has fears but mine is probably that this will all disappear. I want it to keep on going as long as possible.

"If it did all go away tomorrow, I know that I've enjoyed every moment of living the dream now."

The best thing about her new celebrity status, she said, was the feeling of acceptance.

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See exclusive SuBo video

Susan Boyle sings The Power of Love in never-before-seen 2001 footage

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All her life Susan has been cruelly taunted with names like "Simple Susan" because of her mild learning disabilities.

She explained: "It means I'm a wee bit slower at picking things up than other people. But I've got a great deal more ability than people give me credit for.

"At school, I felt very frustrated, very lonely - people didn't want to sit next to me in class. I was often bawling my eyes out and it does tend to chip away at your personality." Her album track You'll See - a version of Madonna's hit - is meant as a fingers up to the bullies who tormented her.

"That's a statement I was trying to make," she explained. "'You may have done that to me when I was younger but you can't do that to me now.'"

As well as a new-found confidence, the most striking change about Susan is her appearance.

Gone is the odd whisker that earned the unwelcome nickname Hairy Angel - and in their place is a glowing woman loving the expensive makeovers that come with fame.

She smiled: "I keep reading that I've had all this Botox, the teeth whitening... but I haven't had that at all.

"I've been working hard and lost a bit of weight which has been good for me. The whole process has been good for me."

And she is also loving all the trips to the States, where around 700,000 copies of her album were sold last week alone.

In Britain it was an estimated 500,000 - eclipsing Leona Lewis's Spirit, the previous fastest selling UK debut album, which sold 375,000 in its first week. Susan said: "I went to LA and there were great crowds waiting for us at the airport. It was quite something - nothing that a woman like me was used to, for heaven's sake. But I found Americans to be incredibly warm and friendly.

"It was quite something to be in Hollywood. The hotel I was staying in, apparently Frank Sinatra used to take his women there. And I dipped my toes in the same pool Grace Kelly had been in.

"This is a world I'd never seen before and never dreamt that I would get to see. I can't wait to visit again."

Her one regret is that her beloved parents are not alive to see her amazing transformation. Her dad Patrick Boyle, a miner and pub singer, died in 1999, and her typist mum Bridget lived with Susan until she died two years ago.

SuBo said: "I think they would be very proud of me - I hope they would.

"I've done a lot of wrong with my parents. There's no one around that hasn't. But hopefully I've made up for that now and they're smiling down on me. I can feel it sometimes.

"The only dream my dad had, of becoming a singer, is coming true through me - so I think he'd be proud!"

The truth about that picture

SUSAN sucked her thumb to jokingly illustrate a comment, we can reveal.

She was meeting fans in New York on Monday when one asked how her career was going. The singer replied she was taking things slowly and using "baby steps" - then laughingly put her thumb in her mouth as if she was a youngster.

But the next day the photo appeared in newspapers with headlines like Is It All Too Much? and querying if she was about to have a breakdown.

SuBo was stunned the gesture had been misinterpreted and by the suggestions she was not coping.

She added that the snaps of her in tears on the same day were taken when she was overcome with gratitude by the fans' gifts.

Your comments

This article has 36 comments

it is time the queen of england i did not say scotland should besto honors on this great lady hope she bought her cd

By charles rooney .. Posted December 11 2009 at 12:42 PM.

I WAS THERE and Susan was articulate, humble, grateful and treated her fans like her friends. She was touched by the quilt and was only teasing. She has a sense of humor, she is not a puppet to say and do everything in a perfect way, she is beautiful inside and out and I will forever treasure her laughter when I showed her my susa hoodie that had her siloutte and I dreamed a dream and Susan Boyle on it. What a lady!

By Camisu11.. Posted November 30 2009 at 2:46 AM.

glad that you are ours...go on girl we all be there for you...have loads of fun!!!

By sense75.. Posted November 29 2009 at 4:48 PM.

well done susan!!!!you are amazing your parents would be so proud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By kasia.. Posted November 29 2009 at 4:22 PM.

Well done Susan, you have done your wee Scots village proud young lady, stay the way you are, humble and down to earth, JUST LOVE YOUR SWEET VOICE, WE ALL LOVE YOU.

By annie.. Posted November 29 2009 at 3:58 PM.

Susan you are fabulous, a real person and no dityz diva with a list of demands.

See that Simon Cowell she outsold the 'fabulous'? Leona.

By Ann.. Posted November 29 2009 at 2:00 PM.

Americans especially don't get British (including her Scottish) humour. All those little gestures she smakes are just part of an act, as if to say: "I'm just a wee girl who likes to have fun."

By James.. Posted November 29 2009 at 1:34 PM.

Don't really know much about this story, but good that she's doing fine. Can't even imagine the experiences she's had this year.

Susan is the first person in the history of entertainment, to have the world's attention in such a small space of time.

The only other people to get that famous that quick are new political world stage leaders and the likes of Bin Laden.... Crazy!

By Carlton.. Posted November 29 2009 at 12:52 PM.

Living your passion, living your dream sharing the adventure. Go for it Susan!!

By Rob Daniel.. Posted November 29 2009 at 12:11 PM.

Hats off to Mr. Douglas Wight for reporting the truth.

Susan's story is one of the most amazing and i hope one day its made into a movie like along the lines of "Billy Elliot" was made. Cinema's would be flooded with tears.

Susan deserves the worlds attension and the media should be behind her all the way.

We love you Susan. xxxxx

By BH.Glasgow, UK.. Posted November 29 2009 at 10:11 AM.

Susan you are a wonderful woman,you are so real in a world of fake celebrities.Enjoy every moment of your dream.It's not only your voice we love but the person inside.
best wishes darling.
x

By jen.. Posted November 29 2009 at 9:29 AM.

One more thing. Why does everyone refer to whiskers and hairy angel? I don't remember her ever being hairy and I sure don't remember whiskers. I have seen her audition video so many times. Did she get hairy after because I still can't figure out where that awful name hairy angel came from.

By SusaFan.. Posted November 29 2009 at 8:52 AM.

britain has finally got a true star-kind gracious humble and witty.i wasnt convinced till i heard the album and saw her new york performances during the week -shes sang live in front of millions and never faultered in her vocal performance.there is also an extra track from the japanese cd which is not on others called -Wings To Fly-hear it on youtube-simply stunning vocals.

By Rob.. Posted November 29 2009 at 8:41 AM.

Susan is a beautiful singer, she has such a lovely voice. I think it is absolutely great that she has made an album, which I will be buying. Her story is just great. We absolutely love her and her music brings tears to my eyes-in a nice way, of course. Yes, the whole world loves her-long may this continue-Susan is inspirational. I can't praise her enough! Lastly, Susan's looks fabulous too, she is a lovely lady, beautiful in the album pictures. Best of everything I wish her.

By Lisa Babe.. Posted November 29 2009 at 6:45 AM.

All I can do is echo what has already been said here by so many of Susan's fans. Susan is amazing - like no other! Mr. Wight - it would be nice if you could interview the writers of the offending article who must have egg on their faces now. Thank-you for having integrity and ethics.

By Kathi Haberman.. Posted November 29 2009 at 6:31 AM.

I would like to add that the time with Susan at the quilt presentation was a rare and precious moment of heart-to-heart sharing, something very special for all. Seeing Susan on top of the world in her career where she belongs, and beginning to receive the accolades and affection she deserves, I felt a deep hurt when some twisted people trashed such a beautiful and innocent time. The world is beginning to understand that Susan is not the one with the problem, and I am glad.

By Joly.. Posted November 29 2009 at 5:42 AM.

Thank you for printing the truth. It is a shame that a lady of this stature and gentleness should be subjected to such abuse. She does not deserve the relentless campaign of insults that have been heaped upon her. Susan, ignore the garbage and continue to sing for a world that needs and loves you.

By gingercat.. Posted November 29 2009 at 5:52 AM.

Thank you, Mr Douglas Wight, for setting this nasty rumor straight, straight from the lips of our lady Susan herself. Susan, we, your fans, never believed for a moment, this rot. You've got a lot of mad momma grizzly bears backing you up and tearing up those idiots when we hear crap like this.

By classilady.. Posted November 29 2009 at 5:37 AM.

Proof that talent is no longer a necessity for fame.
What next - Stavros Flately at the Royal Ballet?

By The Truth.. Posted November 29 2009 at 5:00 AM.

Thank you for stating the TRUTH! Susan is an amazing, talented, strong & determined woman. She has a delightful sense of humor that I find endearing. Susan was greeted with a warm & loving welcome here in the USA & we look forward to her returning as often as she can.

By Southernlady.. Posted November 29 2009 at 4:06 AM.

I am the woman who directed the quilt project, assembled and quilted them, and then had the privilege to present them to Susan in NYC. After the presentation, Susan and I were in the conversation referred to in the article. Specifically, I ask her if she would come to Texas so I could see her in concert. Her answer was "baby steps". To that, I replied that perhaps it was a giant step. That was when she illustrated that she was staying with baby steps by making some cute sounds and sticking her thumb into her mouth. All of us around her laughed, enjoying her wit and sense of humor. Susan enjoys using physical comedy to make her points.

By Carol Rand.. Posted November 29 2009 at 3:59 AM.

Thank you Mr. Douglas Wight for finally printing the truth about this whole business of the 'thumb sucking' incident! All Susan's fans knew this was simply part of a Susan's humor and a response to prior comments at the gathering regarding her taking 'baby steps' with her career, etc.

I'm so happy that you have chosen to print the truth and not follow in the footsteps of other online tabloids that delight in twisting facts and spreading mistruths all for the sake of grabbing headlines.

It's unfortunate that these sensationalist gossip mongers don't realize that they would get just as many 'hits' and attention on their websites if they simply printed the truth. The reality of Susan and her story is far more entertaining; Susan is an endlessly fascinating woman and start!!!

By EmeraldGirl.. Posted November 29 2009 at 2:25 AM.

Susan Boyle is so sweet and she also possesses a sweet, one-of-a-kind voice. I could listen to this lovely lady sing for hours and hours at a time. Shame on anyone who would try to spread lies and untrue rumors about such a funny, kind, loving, woman! My life is far better for having experienced Susan Boyle. Who has a true learning disability? Susan or the Media. I think everyone knows the answer to that one. All of us Yanks absolutely adore Susan and relish every visit by her. If she finds us warm and friendly that is because we respond to warm friendly people that way. I love Susan Boyle and wish there were many, many, more people like her!

By katladyd.. Posted November 29 2009 at 12:44 AM.

We helped to organize the NYC fan events, and as such had the opportunity to see Susan in various settings. In every case, she was happy and comfortable and witty, and of course the fans were delighted not only to hear her fantastic performance (and rehearsal) before an enormous crowd, but also to witness her enjoyment of the whole experience. Unconditional love does have that effect, does it not? Even the emotional moments at the brunch and quilt presentation were an unguarded part of being among friends who just love Susan as she is. Susan, dear, you're welcome here anytime!

Del & Leslie McMillan
Brooklyn, New York

By Del & Leslie McMillan.. Posted November 29 2009 at 12:09 AM.

I've seen enough RECENT interviews to know that the rumours were b.s. I also spoke with someone who was there at the presentation of the quilt who said she was so touched she had a wee tear. The quilt was stitched with squares from people all over the world with tributes of love and appreciation.Heck he gave me a tear just to see the pictures. So thank you for your integrity to set the record straight. Susan's career is taking off because she has millions of fans who appreciate her and her beautiful music.

By Linda Sharon.. Posted November 28 2009 at 11:51 PM.

I loved this article. Glad to see Lady Susan Boyle setting the record straight about the thumb and the tears at the brunch. She was charming, fun loving and humorous. Susan I love your fun side for sure. Love the winks and all the love you showed during your brunch. I know as I was there to see for mine own eyes. You go Lady Susan Boyle. Hip Hip Horay for all the cd sales thus far. Went to my local Borders and they said they were flying off the shelf in just the 2 days it has been available. So you go Girl. I am very very proud of you Dear scottish Lassie. The album is stunning for sure I have been listening to it all afternoon as loud as possible and my is it stunning with your beautiful vocals! Thanks for the great show on Monday at the today show Fondly Aliz

By Alizabeth.. Posted November 28 2009 at 11:04 PM.

I never believed any of it anyway. The whole world loves Susan and everyone knows that she can do no wrong with Americans. She is loved and accepted completely and unconditionally by America! She has been from day 1 and I think she knows that now. Americans have never and never will turn their back on Susan Boyle or do anything to try to hurt her. Anyone who is jealous of that fact just needs to get it through their thick skulls and move on.

The record has been set straight.

By SusaFan.. Posted November 28 2009 at 11:02 PM.

Susan's fans believe in her 100% and are thrilled with her success! Congratulations, Susan! I Dreamed A Dream is an absolutely stunning album! Thank you so much! Love the way you put your heart and soul into your music!!

By Evie.. Posted November 28 2009 at 8:39 PM.

Great article! You're not afraid to print the truth, instead of some made-up poppycock. All of you UK folks should be really proud of Susan. With all her sales , she may even help the economy! (ours in the USA, too)

By Mary Jo.. Posted November 28 2009 at 8:38 PM.

I am glad you printed the truth about the photo... but it would have been nice if you had printed the UNcropped version which clearly shows Susan's fans all gathered around and everyone laughing. Also it is totally unnecessary for you to dredge up unflattering details which are best left in the past. One might wonder how YOU (author) would far if suddenly and unknowingly thrust into a media spotlight worldwide which you had no idea was coming... LOL perhaps YOU (or I or any of us) might also have had a "bad hair day." Susan is a beautiful lady and it is sad that the press in her own country has been so determined to destroy her. But we her fans "fought the tigers" for her before and we will do so again... and again if necessary... and we will WIN!!! :) I think the first week album sales so far speak for us.

By Misti in Seattle.. Posted November 28 2009 at 8:36 PM.

Thankyou Mr. Wight for putting the records straight regarding the split second thumb sucking. I saw Susan on American television being interviewed by Mr. Matt Lauer, it was a fantastic interview the best I have seen Susan do, so she has a slight learning disability and finds it hard to express herself, does it matter when she expresses herself so wonderfully in her songs.

By ann whittle.. Posted November 28 2009 at 8:47 PM.

Thank you for setting the record straight. Of course Susan Boyle is fine. Susan was a TRIUMPH in the USA. We can hardly wait for her appearance in Canada on Dec.21. She is an amazing woman - talented, strong, courageous and determined. You ain't seen nothin' yet!

By CanadianBill.. Posted November 28 2009 at 9:07 PM.

thank you for "setting the record straight" about Susan! she has to be a strong, grounded person to cope with the sudden fame and the sometimes mean press. she has millions of fans who support her. we love you, Susan!

By ksdust.. Posted November 28 2009 at 9:05 PM.

YAAAAAAY!!!!!!!!! It's a relief that the meltdown rumors aren't true and that Susan is really enjoying her career and wants to continue enriching our lives with her angelic voice!!!!! Everyone on her fansite forum who were there with her that day have been trying to explain the meaning of the joking "thumb sucking" and the tears of gratitude for her fans' gifts but I'm glad that Susan has finally confirmed those facts. Susan is happy with her life and I hope that people will let Susan enjoy her singing career and achieving her dreams without interferance. I LOVE YOU SUSAN!!!!

By Debbie.. Posted November 28 2009 at 9:01 PM.

I am so glad to see this article!! Susan is one sharp lady and it great that she is setting the record straight on the "thumb" picture. The 100 or so fans who attended the Meet and Greet after her Today Show performance already knew the real truth behind the tabloid press stories!!

By CzechLadyUSA.. Posted November 28 2009 at 9:22 PM.

I'm so glad to finally see a piece of accurate journalism relating to the thumb sucking incident. I am so sick of hearing all the nasty comments that many writers are quick to make about anything to do with Susan Boyle. She is a shining light in the music industry, not only with the voice of an angel, but the disposition to match. No wonder the Americans love her to pieces and it goes to show that not everybody is enamoured of the Hollywood image of gel implants and botoxed faces. The whole world loves her, New Zealand included!

By Rose.. Posted November 28 2009 at 9:15 PM.

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