By Natalie ValiosBritain's Got Talent runner-up Susan Boyle has been admitted to The Priory Clinic in London. The singer who was tipped to win, but lost out to the dance group Diversity (my favourite to win) is apparently "emotionally drained and exhausted".
Unlike the other contestants, the publicity surrounding Boyle reached fever pitch. And not just here but worldwide, notably in the US, where Boyle appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show after millions watched her audition clip on YouTube. While the other finalists only had to cope with one week of stress, the pressures on Boyle had been growing and growing since she first walked on stage a few weeks ago and told judges Simon Cowell, Amanda Holden and Piers Morgan that her dream was to be a professional singer.
We are all guilty of making assumptions based on people's appearances and Cowell, Holden and Morgan fell into the same trap. You could see their scepticism as Boyle followed this up by saying she would like to be as successful as Elaine Paige.
And then she started singing and their jaws visibly dropped. Boyle has a good voice, though arguably not the best in the competition, but her looks and the way she acted meant that the judges - and doubtless many viewers - thought she'd be yet another deluded contestant rather than anyone with a modicum of talent. When she finished Morgan said, "That was the biggest surprise I have had in three years of this show. When you came on, everyone was laughing at you, no one is laughing now."
Holden added, "Everybody was against you, I think we were all being very cynical and that's the biggest wake-up call ever."
(Pic: Ken McKay/Rex Features)
We've all bought into the Hollywood dream that beauty and talent go hand in hand. The judges - and the audience at the audition and in their sitting rooms - weren't astounded because they were listening to the greatest singing voice ever, they were astounded because someone who isn't conventionally attractive and has a learning disability (Boyle was starved of oxygen at birth) can be talented.
There is some truth in the argument that Britain's Got Talent is exploitative, but on the other hand people with disabilities deserve the same opportunities as the rest of us. So why shouldn't they have the chance to live the dream too?
However - and it's a big however - this cannot be at the expense of their mental health. Boyle has had to deal with the kind of pressure in the last few weeks that most of us would crack under. The Boyle phenomenon was quickly apparent, as was the fact that she was clearly vulnerable. Cowell's team, ITV or Talkback Thames had plenty of time to step in and support her, but don't appear to have done so, or if they have, it's clearly not been enough.
They need to rectify that to ensure that Boyle really can live her dream and be a professional singer.
`Susan Boyle is vulnerable. Her slight learning disability makes her unable intellectually to cope with life in show business. She comes from a small stable community that knows her and accepts her. She is now preparing to enter a world that is full of ambitious ruthless people who will do anything to achieve fame and money. She will be criticized, judged and be the butt of jokes by people in the media. The fact that she has already displayed temper tantrums and bad behaviour shows she is mentally unable to cope with pressure. I worry for her mental health.
It is right in an ideal world that people with a learning disability should be given the same life chances as everybody else, but surely not at the expense of their mental wellbeing. What is the good of being rich and famous if you have succumbed to mental illness because you cannot cope with it?
To expect Cowell and co. to give her any duty of care is naive. She is nothing more than a cash cow to Mr. Cowell. In an ideal world Susan would be a professional singer, but unfortunately our world is driven by greedy men and women and she would be exploited. Go back to Scotland Susan and resume your stable quiet peaceful existence, knowing that you came, you saw, and you conquered all our hearts.
ditto Pauline Thomas! i echo your sentiments on cost to the mental Wellbeing of Susan Bolyle. She is yet another that has been sucked in by the greedy people who only want to line their own pockets. no throught is given to the effect sudden fame can have on the individual, never mind one who is at risk.
Do it yourself Susan Boyle. Why does everyone assume that "living the dream" means being exploited, constantly working, on tour or ceaselessly appearing on chat shows. Susan could go home to the support of her community, record some songs, use her newfound stardom on Youtube to promote them and have the best of both worlds, fame and security.
If she chooses the conventional route of agent, deal, promotional tours then she would be choosing a life of stress and probable mental illhealth. But then it would be her choice, and mild learning difficulty or not, she has the right to make her own life choices. After all most other people who choose the public spotlight seem to suffer mental illhealth at one time or another or else shares in The Priory would plummit.
Above comments are b*****ks as far as I'm concerned. What Ms Boyle needs is for the poison pen press to crawl back under a stone and to find a couple of minders whom she can trust.
Bit like the social work trade, really.
Susan Boyle took the decision to go on the show as she wanted more people to hear her voice. Lots of people are grateful for that and I'm sure her life has been enriched immeasurably by the experience. Going in to therapy is probably enriching too. Why us British regard it as a tragedy I don't know. She'll come out of it stronger. The show is just another way to get live variety performances on the telly; like Opportunity Knocks in the past etc. What's all the fuss about?
When I read about the odd behaviour of Susan Boyle – the hand-flapping and the tantrums etc. I recognised the symptoms immediately.
My 55-yr old son, like Susan, had learning difficulties as a child. He could not speak until he was 9 or 10 and so was not allowed to attend school until then. He was diagnosed as profoundly autistic. Like Susan he had to put up with bullying during his life. However, late in life he was able to study and graduated from University – computer science.
He is fine so long as his routine is kept and that everything goes according to plan. As his mum I have got to understand autism and try to ensure that there are no upsets in his life. From time to time, however, something upsets the apple-cart and I have to be there to reassure and comfort him so that he does not lose control. I have to hold him tight to get him to be able to stop shaking.
Obviously when Susan is away from home and her usual routine she needs someone more or less constantly with her to humour and support her – someone who understands autism.
Thank you for initiating this discussion. I have been quite appalled by the comments in the Sun about Hairy Susan or Virgin SuBo, as they mostly called her, ( - see their 'Rambo' cartoon of her) which I would have thought could be challenged under the Human Rights Act. I could not help but notice that Susan was the only woman of note in this year's Britain's Got Talent. This meant that no-one else was there to share the Sun's mysogenist invective.
Susan came a highly deserved second in the competition. Her performance was perfection itself in the final and as such was appreciated by all who voted for her. A great number of people appreciated her beautiful singing without feeling the need to mock and denigrate her appearance. It is unfortunate that our press is not regulated by social workers to at least try to protect the weak and the vulnerable from such sustained and unwarranted abuse.