Early life
Susan Magdalene Boyle was born on April 1, 1961, to Patrick Boyle, a miner, WWII veteran and singer and Bridget - a shorthand typist. She grew up the youngest of four brothers and six sisters, and the family lived in the same West Lothian council house in Scotland which Susan still owns.
Susan was bullied in school, but took solace in her passion for music. She loved singing, and was an active member of the choir at her parish church, where she was a volunteer. She won many local talent competitions and was urged by her mother to enter Britain's Got Talent. But thinking she was too old, she abandoned the idea.
Inspiring success
Despite this, the aspiring singer was finally spurred on to go on the show in 2008, a year after her mother died. It was the first time she had sung in public since the death of her beloved mum, whom Susan had cared for until her passing.
Taking to the Britain's Got Talent stage in Glasgow, Susan gave the judges and the audience what Amanda Holden described as the "biggest wakeup call ever". They had scoffed at her aspirations to become "as successful as Elaine Paige" and written her off because of her appearance, but she blew them away with her rendition of 'I Dreamed A Dream' and received a standing ovation.
Just weeks later her name was known around the world after her story was picked up by the global media. Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher were among those championing her on Twitter, and her audition clip went on to amass a record total of hits on YouTube. Susan came second in the talent contest, and despite battling problems early on due to exhaustion, the inspiring star eventually embarked upon her new life as an artist – accompanying her fellow contestants on her first tour, and starting work on her debut album.
To many, Susan represented the notion that dreams can come true at any age, and this was cemented with the release of her first album, in November 2009. I Dreamed A Dream broke all sales records, selling over two million copies worldwide in its first week of release. It remains the fastest selling debut album by a female artist ever recorded.
Life after Britain's Got Talent
Speaking about her fame during an appearance on America's Got Talent in 2009, Susan said: "I used to be a kind of spectator looking outward at the world. But now I'm part of that world and, though frightening, I'm going to embrace it."
Following the success of her debut album, Susan released two more, The Gift in 2010 and Someone to Watch Over Me in 2011. She later released Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage, a Christmas album in 2013, Hope in 2015, A Wonderful World in 2016, and Ten in 2019 to celebrate a decade since her rise to fame.
Personal life
Susan still lives in the same council house in Blackburn in which she was brought up, although she bought the home for herself with her earnings in 2010. In 2013, she revealed she had been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. She suffered a minor stroke in 2022, news of which she revealed in 2023. The very private star is not believed to be married.