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Tragedies, feuds and public tantrums: Is the dream finally over for Susan Boyle?

WILD-EYED, surrounded by police and screaming at complete strangers — it was a pitiful scene those close to Susan Boyle had feared was coming.

Her meltdown at Heathrow on Monday was the latest in a series of recent troubles which have left friends worried that the world’s most unlikely music star is breaking under the strain of sustaining her career.

No one would mind if she called it quits. There is no pressure on her to release new music or tour the world. But Boyle needs to sing. And the secret rifts and tragedy within her family, plus the effects of her Asperger’s syndrome, are pushing her to breaking point, The Sun reports.

A source close to the star said: “Singing is what makes her happy. It makes her feel safe. But she’s struggling to handle a lot of issues in the background. Friends all know she would be better off at home without the stress of performing and travelling but she’s not having it. There are family concerns that have come to the fore and she’s not made an album for two years, which is adding to the pressure and triggering these meltdowns.”

Boyle, 55, born in West Lothian, Scotland and affectionately known as SuBo, changed the face of British television after her awe-inspiring audition on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009.

SuBo on Britain's Got Talent

It was the first time a show of its kind had produced, albeit unintentionally, a viral superstar. Her performance of I Dreamed A Dream f-rom stage show Les Miserableswas watched 100 million times on YouTube.

BGT boss Simon Cowell had struck gold and he knew it.

Not only did she go on to make him a fortune, the never-been-kissed SuBo turned the ITV talent quest into the biggest show on British telly.

But it was painfully clear following the contest’s finale that her mental health issues would be a constant battle as she forged a career.

Now she is set to release her new album in November, which much to her frustration is a year later than had been planned.

The delay was down to the death of her sister Brigid, 73, last October — a loss that is also a major factor behind her increasingly erratic behaviour. Susan described the sister she called Bridie as her “rock” and was devastated when she lost her battle with cancer.

The pair had often been seen walking together and Bridie had also accompanied her baby sister on tours to provide support.

Susan Boyle stunned judges on Britain's Got Talent in 2009. Picture: Supplied
Susan Boyle stunned judges on Britain's Got Talent in 2009. Picture: SuppliedSource:News Limited

 

Feuds have now followed tragedy, namely with her eldest brother, John.

They fell out on a holiday in Northern Ireland earlier this month.

Their spat became so fiery he abandoned her at Derry Airport on April 8, sending her rapidly spiralling into despair.

Passengers said they saw her screaming for help, unable to cope with finding her own way back to her Scottish home without assistance.

When approached by The Sun, John, 65, declined to discuss their falling out.

Similarly, her meltdown in Heathrow this week was apparently sparked by her friend leaving her for two minutes so she could look round the shops.

She has also had a reportedly tricky relationship with her other brother Gerry, 61, with alleged spats over money.

Susan Boyle holds her best-selling album outside her home in Blackburn, Scotland in 2009. Picture: AP Photo/PA, Andrew Milligan
Susan Boyle holds her best-selling album outside her home in Blackburn, Scotland in 2009. Picture: AP Photo/PA, Andrew MilliganSource:AP

 

Boyle is also still very much single. There was one shot at love, with a c-harming American doctor in Florida two years ago, but after a romantic lunch and a string of calls and emails, the friendship soon fizzled out.

A friend said: “Losing Bridie was a massive hit for Susan as she had always been there for her. She’s now fallen out with her brothers and probably feels quite isolated.

“Susan needs to be surrounded by familiar things and people and this support mechanism has been pulled f-rom right under her.

“No wonder the pressure is getting to her and is now spilling over in public places.”

Even with her setbacks, Boyle has always been a special case with Cowell. Now more than ever.

The mogul carefully managed her run on BGT and paid for her to go to The Priory to treat exhaustion after the show’s 2009 finale. He has been similarly careful dealing with her subsequent career.

Susan Boyle carries the Glasgow 2014 Queen's Baton at Yorkhill Hospital in Scotland. Picture: Chris Radburn/Glasgow 2014 Ltd via Getty Images
Susan Boyle carries the Glasgow 2014 Queen's Baton at Yorkhill Hospital in Scotland. Picture: Chris Radburn/Glasgow 2014 Ltd via Getty ImagesSource:Getty Images

 

Unlike other stars born through his talent shows who have suffered a decline in sales, Cowell has not d-ropped Boyle f-rom his record label Syco.

X Factor winners including Leona Lewis, Alexandra Burke, Shayne Ward and 2014 champ Ben Haenow have all gone. BGT music stars like Jai McDowall, forgotten.

But SuBo remains, despite her most recent album Hope, released in 2014, managing only relatively disappointing sales of around 300,000 copies.

A source close to Cowell said: “The rule at Syco is if you sell under one million you’ve gone.

“They’ve had no problem d-ropping artists. It’s a ruthless industry.

“Susan is treated differently as he is extremely fond of her and has huge respect for what she’s achieved. As well as being a worldwide star, there is also a fear of how she would take the rejection.

“But Simon has also shown huge loyalty to her because of what she’s done to BGTand her amazing back-catalogue sales.”

Boyle’s management team now realise the stressful environment of airports are a trigger for her problems and they are looking to limit them except for essential travel to the US.

A luxury bus will be hired for her small European tour next year. A similar vehicle was used to keep her calm while touring the United States in 2014.

Susan Boyle performs during her musical I Dreamed A Dream at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle, England. Picture: AP Photo/Scott Heppell
Susan Boyle performs during her musical I Dreamed A Dream at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle, England. Picture: AP Photo/Scott HeppellSource:AP

 

And during long runs of concerts two staff members are constantly with her to make sure she feels comfortable and not alone. The amount of care they provide was increased after she was finally diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome in 2012.

It was a condition some had long suspected, but which Boyle only made public a year later.

Signs of a possible disorder were first apparent when the star was runner-up to Diversity in the BGT final. She thought that because she hadn’t won the show people didn’t want to ever hear her sing again.

Now with declining record sales, she saw her finances take a hit for the first time last year.

Boyle is estimated to have amassed a £22 million ($42 million) fortune thanks to selling more than 25 million records. But records f-rom her three companies reveal “only” £2.6 million in the bank.

According to her public accounts, one firm recorded assets of £2.2 million last year, a £1 million d-rop on the previous year. Another was worth £110,000 less than 12 months previously.

But Boyle declares money means little to her, and is happy to get by on £300 “pocket money” a week.

Simon Cowell apparently has a soft spot for Susan Boyle. Picture: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Jaguar Land Rover
Simon Cowell apparently has a soft spot for Susan Boyle. Picture: Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Jaguar Land RoverSource:Getty Images

 

Back in 2014 she even applied for a £6-an-hour job in her local Ladbrokes betting shop in Blackburn, West Lothian.

Although able to buy some of the biggest mansions in Scotland, she has splashed out only £110,000 on the semi-detached ex-council property next to hers so she can build her dream interconnecting home.

Staying local, near to familiar places and faces, is vital for her.

Yet in two weeks she will re-enter the studio to attempt to record her seventh album.

Several tracks will be Bridie’s favourite songs and hymns. Boyle wanted to pay tribute to her closest sibling and the love they shared.

It will be a difficult few weeks, and for the first time she will be in the studio without her beloved family to hand.

And that is the one thing that, despite all his millions, Cowell is unable to provide for his special SuBo.

Is the dream finally over for Susan Boyle? Picture: AP Photo/Scott Heppell
Is the dream finally over for Susan Boyle? Picture: AP Photo/Scott HeppellSource:AP

 

SUSAN BOYLE’S CAREER SO FAR

JANUARY 2009: Wows in audition for Britain’s Got Talent in Glasgow.

MAY 2009: Loses in BGT final to Diversity. Next day she checks into The Priory whe-re she stays three days.

NOVEMBER 2009: Releases first album I Dreamed A Dream through Simon Cowell’s label. Sells 10 million copies worldwide.

NOVEMBER 2010: Releases second album The Gift, which shifts 3.7 million copies.

OCTOBER 2011: Third studio album Someone To Watch Over Me released. Three million copies are sold.

MARCH 2012: Stage musical of SuBo’s life, I Dreamed A Dream, opens in Newcastle before touring Britain.

MAY 2012: Heard shouting “I just want to go home” at a Burger King in Knutsford, Cheshire.

NOVEMBER 2012: Fourth CD, Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs f-rom the Stage, is release and sells 1.5 million copies.

OCTOBER 2013: Makes acting debut in festive flick The Christmas Candle, and releases fifth album Home For Christmas, which sees sales of one million.

JULY 2014: Sings Mull of Kintyre at opening ceremony for Glasgow’s Commonwealth Games.

OCTOBER 2014: Brings out sixth album Hope. First week saw it shift only around 20,000 copies in the US. It sells more than 300,000 copies in the UK

APRIL 2016: Spotted shouting “Help me” at Derry Airport. Weeks later she is taken away by cops after suffering meltdown at Heathrow.

This story originally appeared in The Sun.

Author: News Australia

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