Susan Boyle reveals stroke scare on Britain's Got Talent live final
- Published
Susan Boyle sang her audition song as she returned to the BGT stage
Susan Boyle feared she might never sing again after suffering from a stroke.
The Scottish singer made a surprise return to the programme that made her famous on Sunday night, in a guest appearance on the Britain's Got Talent final won by comedian Vigo Venn.
She joined the London cast of Les Misérables on stage as votes were counted in the competition.
Boyle, 62, shocked viewers by revealing to presenters Ant and Dec that she had fallen ill in April 2022.
She shot to fame in 2009 after her audition for the third series of BGT went viral.
She sang "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables and despite coming second in that year's final - beaten by dance act Diversity - she went on to have a successful recording career.
The singer, from Blackburn in West Lothian, sang for the late Queen, a US president and the Pope.
On Sunday she joined Les Mis star Lucie Jones to perform her original audition song.
When asked how it felt to be back on the BGT stage after 14 years, she dropped her bombshell news to Ant and Dec.
"It feels great," she said. "It is extra special for me actually because last April there, I suffered a minor stroke.
"I have fought like crazy to get back on stage. And I have done it."
Susan Boyle sang with Lucie Jones from Les Mis
Head judge Simon Cowell commented "Susan, we owe you so much and I knew you weren't well, but if anyone was going to come back you were going to come back because it wouldn't be the same without you."
Posting on her Facebook page after the programme, she said: "For the past year I have worked so hard to get my speech and singing back, with the sole aim of being able to sing on stage again.
Since her original appearance on the show, Boyle has sold more than 20 million albums and had two Grammy nominations.
One of her last appearances was on the American all-star version of the show.
In 2019, she performed her cover of Wild Horses by the Rolling Stones on America's Got Talent: The Champions.
Boyle received the show's highest accolade when judge Mel B pressed her golden buzzer to put the singer straight through to the finals.
The Spice Girls star described Boyle's voice as "angelic".
Susan Boyle was runner up in series three of Britain's Got Talent
Boyle was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome in 2013. It is a form of autism which typically means people struggle with their emotions and have difficulty in social situations, often unable to pick up on non-verbal cues.
The star spent years believing she suffered slight brain damage at birth and spoke of her relief at finally getting a "clearer understanding" of her condition.
Vigo Venn won the contest beating bookmakers' favourite Musa Motha, a dancer from South Africa who had one leg amputated when he was 11.
Teenage dancer Lilliana Clifton and young magician Cillian O'Connor came second and third.
Venn's prize for triumphing was £250,000 and a slot at the Royal Variety Performance.