Sensing that this problem should be tackled before it got blown out of all proportion, Piers once more spoke up. As an ex-newspaper editor and seasoned media figure, he had the hide of a rhinoceros and nerves of steel, but he could see vulnerability when it appeared in front of him, and he wanted to protect Susan as much as he could. Susan had publicly named him as the man she had a crush on, so perhaps that made him feel even more responsible for her. By this time Piers appeared to be Susan’s unofficial protector, and if the outcome everyone was expecting didn’t happen, then he would be responsible for heading off any negative reactions.
‘Susan’s going to be a major star, whatever happens,’ he said. ‘And I for one hope she absolutely nails it on the night and shoves all these vile critics’ disgraceful attacks down their throats. Will she win? In many ways, Susan Boyle’s already won. As for all the furore surrounding Susan, my bet is that she will respond with the performance of her life at the final. This is one tough lady who has had to fight since the day she was born. And there is no way she’s going to quit now.’
The programme makers were certainly doing what they could to help. Richard Holloway, one of the show’s producers, was keen to point out that as well as being subject to the kind of attention more usually associated with the likes of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Susan was being given constant support. A friend was accompanying her to London, and when she was in Scotland, a member of the show’s production staff was always in situ.
Meanwhile, lots of media-friendly psychiatrists were being wheeled out to give their views. Some thought she should go ahead with the contest, some thought she shouldn’t, so she didn’t have to deal with the trauma of her star fading at some point - it didn’t occur to anyone that it might not - and there was general agreement that Susan’s perception that Piers had withdrawn his support by praising Shaheen had been very upsetting for her. The lady herself, however, kept shtum.
The pressure was certainly greater than ever before. Back in Blackburn, the locals were preparing a huge celebration, which was to be held whatever the outcome of the competition, while plans were afoot for the town to get together in The Happy Valley Hotel to watch Susan perform on the show. They were totally unfazed by Susan’s outbursts, not least because they’d seen them before: ‘I’ve known Susan all her life,’ said David Stein, the village butcher. ‘We know what Susan can do verbally; she can be pretty rough on you.’
Jackie Russell, the manager of the pub, agreed. ‘It’s the stress,’ she said. ‘It’s only natural. She’s used to just walking up and down to the shops and nobody bothering her, and all of a sudden she’s thrust into this limelight. It must be really hard for her.’
One thing was for certain, interest in Susan kept mounting, with speculation about what she would wear and sing increasing by the day. For a woman who had had to put up with a lot of stick about her appearance, she was now in the bizarre position of being treated as something of a fashion icon. She also remained the bookies’ favourite to win.
The stage was set for the next big act in Susan’s life, but Piers was right: whatever happened she was already a star. If she’d messed up the semi-final - and the speed of her recovery from that duff note was proof that she hadn’t - it’s unlikely her career would have progressed any further. Instead, however, her appearance had been a triumph, showing that she was no flash in the pan. As painful as it was for her to go through, Susan’s problems only increased the public’s fascination with her. Clearly, apart from a few strange souls, no one wanted her to suffer; everyone wanted her to thrive. But the fact that her battles weren’t entirely over kept the public glued to the soap opera, wondering what was going to happen next. Susan was a star, all right, but she was still going to have to battle on.
A Massive Upset
The final of Britain’s Got Talent was finally here - on 30 May 2009 - and tensions were running about as high as they could get. Susan had seemed like a shoe-in at first, but just recently doubts had been raised as to whether she would make it through - not that it mattered much. Susan’s musical career looked guaranteed, whatever happened on stage that night. Even so, she wanted to win, and the goodwill towards her remained palpable: the country wanted her to win, too.
The nation’s television sets switched on and the contest began. As the show started, they repeated clips of the earlier stages of the proceedings, and another interview with Susan, resplendent in a neat yellow blouse.
‘When I first applied to Britain’s Got Talent, I never really realized I’d be sitting here, in the final,’ she said. ‘If I win this people will see I’m not the person who’s just living at home with just the cat. They’ll see a new person, a new Susan Boyle, a Susan Boyle the singer. Through this I can walk down the street and be proud of who I am.’
Piers came up on the screen. ‘Susan Boyle has gone from being a totally anonymous spinster from a Scottish village to one of the most famous women on the planet in several weeks,’ he said as an array of international papers, all with headlines about Susan, flashed up on the screen. ‘That brings with it massive pressure.’
Back to Susan: ‘The pressure put on me this week has been overwhelming,’ she said. ‘But I’ve got to learn to put that aside.’ They were brave words, but it was easier said than done.
Now it was Simon’s turn. ‘For anybody, this is intense. Huge, huge, huge pressure,’ he said. ‘And now she’s got to sing.’
Back to Susan. ‘It’s the most important night of my life tonight,’ she said. ‘When I step on that stage, it will be the accumulation of forty years of dreaming. A life-long ambition.’
And so it was time for the performance. Ant and Dec introduced her and there she was again, dressed in a long, silvery blue gown, singing ‘I Dreamed A Dream’ once more. Susan’s performance was as powerful and assured as before, but her expression was different. There was a more troubled dimension to it than there had been in the past. Susan had had a rotten week enduring a public backlash that had left her feeling vulnerable. For all the brilliance of her performance - and no matter how miserable she might have been feeling, nothing could stifle the beauty of her voice - you could see that all was not well in the world of Susan Boyle.
Despite her troubles, the audience loved it. There were screams and applause, and the three judges all leapt to their feet, cheering and whooping. Susan smiled, though whether it was with relief or genuine enjoyment, it was impossible to tell, then Ant and Dec bounded on stage like frolicsome little puppies, determined to cheer up the diminutive singer with the magnificent voice.
‘Well done, Susan,’ said Ant. ‘Fantastic reaction, all of the judges on their feet. How was that for you? You’ve had a lot of pressure on you this week, but you went out there and performed and it seemed like you really enjoyed that.’
‘I want to thank the people for all the support they’ve given me,’ said Susan, who appeared to be a little more nervous than on previous occasions, ‘especially the people at home, the people in the audience - everybody. I’d like to thank you for all your support.’
Her comment was greeted by a round of applause.
‘It’s been a week full of pressure for all the acts here tonight, none more so than you,’ began Dec. ‘Was that worth it, in front of everybody here?’
‘Well worth it!’ cried Susan emphatically.
‘That’s where you really feel at home, on stage?’ asked Dec.
‘Of course I do. I’m among friends, am I not?’ asked Susan, getting the audience cheering once more.
‘Of course you are, and let’s go to the judges and find out,’ said Ant. ‘Piers, what did you think of Susan’s performance?’
‘Wow,’ said Piers. ‘Susan, you’ve had a very difficult week - you’ve had an amazing seven weeks, but you’ve had a very difficult week where you’ve been the centre of the world’s attention. There’s been negative headlines, you’ve been “boiling over”, “cracking up”, going to “quit the show”, all this kind of thing, and quietly, wha
t I kept thinking to myself was, All you have to do to answer all your critics is to walk down that stage to that microphone, sing the song that we all fell in love with, sing it better than you did last time - and Susan, I’m not supposed to favour anyone in this competition as a judge, I should be impartial, but you know what? Forget it. That to me was the greatest performance I’ve seen in Britain’s Got Talent’s history. You should win this competition. I loved it.’
The audience was cheering again: they clearly agreed. Susan looked gracious up on the stage, and while Piers clearly meant it, it was the least he could say. After all, he had, inadvertently, been responsible for causing some of the distress she’d experienced that week. A very public avowal of loyalty from Piers was exactly what Susan needed at that stage.
Now it was Amanda’s turn. ‘Susan, I have never heard such powerful, confident vocals,’ she began. ‘You sang it so well this evening and I just echo what Piers said, really. You, out of everybody this week, have been under an enormous amount of pressure, but you did it, girl. You did it for Scotland and you did it for Great Britain.’ There was more thunderous applause. ‘And can I just say,’ Amanda added, ‘Simon had a tear in his eye. And I’ve never seen that before.’
Finally, it was the turn of the maestro. Brushing aside questions from Ant as to whether Amanda’s comment was true, he said, ‘I don’t know who’s going to win this competition, but you know, you’ve had a weird seven weeks. You had every right to walk away from this, and you could have walked away. You could have had a lot of stuff coming your way in America, and a lot of people said you shouldn’t even be in this competition. That you’re not equipped to deal with it. For what? For you to sit at home with your cat and say, “I’ve missed an opportunity.” I completely disagree with that. Well, I do. And you know, win or lose, you have the guts to come back here tonight, face your critics and you beat them. And that’s the most important thing.’
In the background, the cheers started again.
‘Whatever happens, Susan,’ Simon continued, ‘and you know, I’ve got to know the real Susan Boyle, which is not the person I’ve seen portrayed in the media, who is a very nice, shy person who just wants a break, you can walk away from this, win or lose, with your head held high, Susan. I absolutely adore you.’
‘That makes me feel really good, thanks very much,’ said Susan, blowing a kiss as she left the stage.
Back in her hometown of Blackburn, the atmosphere was electric. Over a hundred locals had gathered in the Happy Valley to watch the show, and when Susan walked on stage, total silence descended. Throughout the village, almost everyone was glued to their TV screens, and when her performance ended, the place erupted. Susan was certainly a winner there.
Back in London, though, it was a different story. To everyone’s surprise and consternation, Susan didn’t win on the night - that honour went to the dance troupe Diversity. Susan remained gracious in defeat though: ‘They’re very entertaining,’ she said. ‘The best act won.’ But even so it was hard not to feel cheated. This modern-day Cinderella had been at the heart of a fairytale, and the nation expected a fairytale ending. They didn’t get one.
Everyone involved was shocked. ‘Susan was there at the top all along, but she was incredibly gracious,’ said Simon Cowell as the news sunk in. ‘She’s won a lot of people over and people have got to see the real Susan. She’s incredible.’
‘Can I just say on behalf of all of us that it was amazing to meet you,’ said Dec. Although he was far too professional to say so, it looked as if he thought they’d got the wrong result, too.
Despite losing the competition, there was no question that it would put a stop to Susan’s meteoric rise - matters had gone too far for that - but it did underline some real concerns. Susan had seemed certain to win, and the fact that she hadn’t was ascribed in some quarters to the negative publicity she’d received in the run-up to the show. People didn’t seem to understand that her erratic behaviour was a direct result of her learning difficulties, and just thought Susan was being temperamental. The majority may not have thought like that, but a vocal minority did, and it had damaged her chances. That was almost certainly the real reason she didn’t win.
And that led directly to the next question: with the weight of expectation lying heavy on her shoulders, how was she going to take it now that she’d lost? Was Susan going to go off the rails? As the judges had acknowledged, this had been a nerve-racking week for all the contestants, but especially Susan. There had never been a phenomenon like her before, and no one seemed certain quite what to do next. With the Britain’s Got Talent tour coming up, decisions had to be made, and the question on everyone’s lips was, would Susan be well enough to attend? She would be the biggest pull on the tour, but if she joined it would the producers be blamed for putting her under even more pressure when she was clearly unable to cope?
Susan herself could be forgiven for not taking it all in. Asked what she’d do next, she replied bravely, ‘I hope to get an album out and I’ll just play it by ear. What a journey. It was unbelievable and very humbling. Thank you for everything.’
Susan’s family and friends were becoming increasingly concerned, but at least she had the support of her friend Lorraine Campbell, who had been at school with Susan, and was staying in London with her, acting as a shoulder to cry on, as well as a much-needed rock. Having known Susan all her life, she was able to calm her down when she got too het up, and she also took Susan to Mass when she was feeling overwhelmed. Even so, it was becoming obvious that ultimately Susan was going to need professional help.
Susan still had a future, though, and a very profitable one at that. Estimates started flying around about how much money Susan would make out of it all, and while the amounts varied wildly, soaring up to £10 million, there was no doubt that she stood to earn more than the show’s £100,000 prize money. Her brother John certainly forecast great things: ‘The world will definitely hear from Susan Boyle again,’ he said. ‘The show is by no means over. Hopefully now she can relax a bit and just sing, which is all she ever wanted to do. The family are delighted and proud. She put on a tremendous show. Our parents will be looking down with big smiles on their faces.’
It didn’t take long for rumours to surface about what really happened the night Susan lost. Once backstage, there was what seemed like the beginning of a breakdown. Susan was said to have shouted, ‘I hate this show. I hate it,’ before allegedly running down the corridor in her bra and throwing a cup of water over a floor manager. Clearly no one had a clue what to do.
Susan’s brother Gerry said, ‘They just left her on her own. She has got a short fuse and she just blew. Who wouldn’t under that pressure? She’s told me, “I feel tired and stressed,” and that’s understandable.’
The production company played the whole thing down, merely admitting that Susan had had a few ‘wobbles’. In certain quarters there was bemusement. After all, though it was disappointing that she hadn’t won, she still had a career ahead of her, so why all the fuss? But that was to totally misunderstand the problems facing Susan. She had been part of a massive project, and now it had all come tumbling down and she found there were very few people to support her. There was talk of meeting with Simon Cowell the following week to discuss an album, but what Susan really needed was human comfort, and plenty of it.
Everyone knew that Susan had been deprived of oxygen at birth, but what they seemed reluctant to accept was that this behaviour was a direct result of that. As her neighbours in Blackburn had testified, she occasionally had fits of anger, even in a quiet Scottish village, far away from the stresses and strains of the showbusiness world, where Susan now found herself. She needed calm and compassion, strength and understanding, but instead she found herself surrounded by people who didn’t know how to handle or comfort her.
What they did know, though, was that she needed professional help, and so Susan was taken to a doctor, who told her she needed complete rest. This was played down by those
around her, with her spokesperson merely commenting, ‘She has been seen by her private GP, who supports her decision to take a few days out for rest and recovery.’ She was going to need a lot more than that, though.
At least Diversity were doing the decent thing and wishing her well. ‘Susan was very gracious,’ said the leader of the troupe, Ashley Banjo. ‘She was really cool and so nice about it. She told us we were something special. Susan gave us big hugs and had a bit of a dance with us. There was a bit of poppin’ and lockin’. She’s a cool bird. Susan has become a superstar across the world, and to beat her is still a massive shock. We thought she was amazing on Saturday night, as always. She’s going to have a great career.’ It was hard to escape the conclusion that even they had mixed feelings about their win.
Matters escalated. No one would admit exactly what was going on behind the scenes, but it was known that Susan had been taken to The Priory clinic after fainting in front of production staff, and she was being treated there for exhaustion. Concern about what was happening to her had by now reached such a peak that there were suggestions that the makers of the show should face an inquiry. Britain’s Got Talent and Syco, Cowell’s entertainment company, were paying for her treatment, but continued to play the situation down: ‘We provided Susan with a counsellor in the last week, when it became evident to us in the run-up to the final that she needed support.’ That was putting it mildly.
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