Susan Boyle (10 page)

It was also the first time Susan had experienced a celebrity ‘downer’. Although at times it seemed as though half of Hollywood’s A list were publicly backing her, there was the odd dissenting voice, such as Lily Allen’s when she tweeted that Susan was ‘overrated’.

‘I thought her timing was off on Sunday - no control, and I don’t think she has an amazing voice,’ Allen continued. ‘She can sing, but it’s not about talent with her, is it?’

This provoked an immediate row. The Secretary of State for Scotland, Jim Murphy, felt moved to criticize Lily, telling her he couldn’t have agreed less, while Ladbrokes announced that it expected Susan to garner more Number Ones than Lily.

Suddenly everything had stopped running as smoothly as it had been, and there were more problems to come. Craig Revel Horwood, a judge on
Strictly Come Dancing
, waded into the debate by saying that Susan was a ‘freak of nature’. The media printed a picture of Susan arguing with two policemen, who had been called after she rounded on a reporter who had asked her about the incident where she’d shouted at the TV.

Although she had denied the earlier incident, more and more negative comments about her were appearing and fears were growing that her fragile mental state might stop her taking part in the show’s final. This would be a disaster for everyone: the producers of the show, who would lose their biggest draw, and for Susan herself, who had the opportunity of a lifetime within her grasp. Something had to be done, and fast. Behind the scenes there were urgent consultations about her mental state, while Piers made a very public plea on his blog for Susan’s critics to back off.

‘Imagine, if you will, being anonymous for forty-seven years of your life, and then suddenly being propelled into genuine world superstardom,’ he wrote. ‘For many people, it would be a dream come true. All that fame and attention and the prospect of all that money to come with it down the line. The pressure from sudden global success can be enormous. Imagine having all this going on when you are days away from the final of a competition that can make or break your career and your life. A competition that everyone expects you to win, a fact that in itself piles on even more pressure. This is exactly the situation that Susan Boyle now finds herself in. And my heart absolutely bleeds for the poor woman.

‘She was said to be angry because I, her “favourite judge”, had backed another contestant. Susan denies this happened and I wasn’t there, so I don’t know what really went on. But I’ve seen the photos of her arguing with policemen and I’ve read the incredibly bitchy comments exploding all over various websites. And you know what? It made me very, very angry. Susan Boyle is a very kind, generous-hearted lady who has had a pretty tough life. I am calling for everyone to just give her a break.’

Piers was doing his utmost to help Susan at this low point by spending time with her, trying to calm her down and telling the public to back off. Susan had been, he said, on the verge of walking out on the show because the pressure was so intense, and she was becoming increasingly distressed by the negative comments that were beginning to flow. She had been in tears, according to Piers, and was like a ‘rabbit in the headlights’. What poor Susan was experiencing, of course, was tall poppy syndrome - the British urge to cut anyone down to size who appears to stand out from the rest. Just about every famous Briton has had to endure it at one stage or another - including Simon, Piers and Amanda, all of whom had received drubbings from the press and public over the years - but unlike them, Susan was ill-equipped to cope.

‘I am today calling for everyone to just give Susan a break,’ Piers blogged. ‘She is two days away from the biggest day of her life, and all she wants to do is sing well for everyone and hopefully try to win . . . She was deprived of oxygen during her birth, and that left her with learning difficulties, causing her to be called ‘Simple Susan’ at school. She’s only been able to have one brief job in her life, but rather than feel sorry for herself she dedicated all her time to helping her ageing, ailing mother until she died two years ago. Susan’s just a sweet, middle-aged lady from a Scottish village, who can’t really comprehend the sheer scale of what’s happened to her.’

Did it help? At least Piers managed to persuade Susan to stay on the show, but it was the start of a troubling period for Susan, who, having coped so well until now, seemed to be succumbing to the strain of it all. It was as if the stresses of the previous few weeks had suddenly overwhelmed her, and if that were not enough, there were family worries, too. One of her nieces, who had just given birth, had a fall shortly afterwards, brought on by a dizzy spell.

Not for the first time since the circus began, Susan was spirited out of public view in order to relax and wind down. The first time she had hidden away because she couldn’t cope with the sudden popularity, but this time the opposite was the case. That said, however, it was only a tiny minority who gave her stick. She still had a huge global fan base - a few silly incidents weren’t going to stop that - and on the whole, the world was behind her as much as ever. She was still their Cinderella and they wanted to see her go to the ball.

The problem is that nastiness is louder than moral support, so all Susan heard were the negative comments. She didn’t realize that for every naysayer, there were a hundred well-wishers, and why should she? This was a woman who had been bullied her entire life, so it must have seemed as though things were returning to the way they’d always been.

The other judges were equally concerned.
Britain’s Got Talent
was Simon’s show, and he wanted to ensure her wellbeing, so he met up with her and told her not to give up on her dream by walking out. ‘I wanted to make sure she is OK,’ he told reporters afterwards. ‘I wanted to tell her I would help her in any way I can. She has earned the right to be in that final and I didn’t want her to miss out on her big night.’

‘Susan’s not going to quit,’ Amanda confirmed. ‘I think she did have her bags packed at one stage, but I think basically that was just because she was feeling so sad and kind of upset. We’ve just got to keep being on her side and not assume she’s going to win. [But] I would imagine that whether she wins or loses, she will definitely record “I Dreamed A Dream”. I think that that would be a huge, huge hit. It would go platinum.’

By the time the final rolled round the negative comments had died down - in the press at least - as commentators began to realize that while picking on Susan made good copy, it was actually doing her harm. But there was now another worry for the show’s organizers: what would happen if Susan
didn’t
win. It didn’t matter as far as viewing figures, the subsequent tour or anything else was concerned; what did worry them was how Susan would react. There was increasing public criticism of the show for putting a vulnerable lady in the spotlight, so if Susan lost and went into meltdown, how would that make them look?

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.

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.’