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What Happened to Legendary Britain's Got Talent Singer Susan Boyle? Where She Is Now

From her audition to her triumphant return to the stage, catch up with the international phenom.

By Grace Jidoun & Megan Lasher

When Susan Boyle took the stage of Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, the unassuming then-47-year-old told Judge Simon Cowell that she'd dreamed of being a professional singer but had never been given a chance.

How to Watch

Watch America’s Got Talent Tuesdays at 8/7c on NBC and next day on Peacock

Well, now after her chance arrived, she took great advantage of it, wowing the Judges and audiences around the world.

So where has her Britain’s Got Talent fame taken her since?

Susan Boyle performing.

Is Susan Boyle still performing?

Boyle suffered a minor stroke in April 2022 but, on June 5, 2023, she returned to the stage with a remarkable appearance on the season finale of Britain’s Got Talent

There for the first time, she publicly spoke about the health emergency that almost derailed her career. 

Then, dressed in a sparkling midnight-blue floor-length gown, “SuBo” earned a standing ovation after she performed the song that skyrocketed her to fame — "I Dreamed a Dream — with the cast of Les Misérables.

You can watch that performance for yourself.

Beaming with pride, Cowell told her, “If anyone was gonna come back, you were gonna come back, because we wouldn’t be the same without you. You are amazing.”

She wrote of the performance on Facebook, "This evening was even more special for me as in April of 2022 I had a stroke. For the past year I have worked so hard to get my speech and singing back, with the sole aim of being able to sing on stage again, and tonight my hard work and perseverance paid off."

Susan Boyle performs live on "The Talk," Monday, October 6, 2014 on the CBS Television Network.

Was Susan Boyle on America's Got Talent?

Susan Boyle appeared on Season 1 of America's Got Talent: The Champions in 2019.

She received the Golden Buzzer from Mel B after her first appearance, during which she sang "Wild Horses,” and was catapulted into the Top 12.

RELATED: Susan Boyle's Cover of "Wild Horses" by the Rolling Stones Will Make You Cry

She then sang "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables, but it was not enough to take her to the Top 5.

She expressed her disappointment in an interview with People at the time.

“Of course, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed, but also deep down I didn’t think I would win,” she said. “Secretly you hold out hope that you just might because that’s what drives you to do your best in a competition. I’ve never really considered myself a champion, I’m just me, Susan Boyle.”

Did Susan Boyle win Britain's Got Talent?

Despite her powerhouse performances — ones with which she launched an international career — Boyle came in second during her season of Britain's Got Talent.

She's since earned two Grammy nominations, made three Guinness World Records (one for being the oldest artist to reach number one with a debut), and sold more than 25 million albums worldwide.

Her eight studio albums are: I Dreamed a Dream (2009); The Gift (2010); Someone to Watch Over Me (2011); Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage (2012); Home for Christmas (2013); Hope (2014); A Wonderful World (2016); and Ten (2019).

After embarking on The Ten Tour in 2020 to celebrate a decade of musical success, Boyle took a break from the spotlight.

 

Susan Boyle's First Audition | Simon's Most Memorable Auditions | AGT 2023 | NBC

RELATED: This Is Why Simon Cowell May Be Quieter Than Usual During AGT 18 Auditions

Did Susan Boyle get married?

Though she keeps her personal life pretty private, Boyle has not yet been married. She has previously said that, before her star-turn on Britain's Got Talent, she'd never been kissed, according to People.

In 2014, the magazine reported that Boyle had met a man while on tour in the United States, but she was still private about the new relationship. 

“I don’t want to say any more about who he is right now as that would be unfair on him," she told the magazine. "All I’ll say is we are around the same age and he was a very nice guy."

It is unclear if the two remained the couple, and she's rarely spoken about her personal life since.

Boyle had been diagnosed with what is now called an autism spectrum disorder in 2013, according to People, and said that she believed her condition led her to "panic" in certain situations and contributed to what she termed "mood swings" and depression.

"People with Asperger’s do put a barrier up because they don’t know how to trust people," she said at the time. "I try not to. I want to let people in."

Susan Boyle appears on NBC News' "Today" show.

Where does Susan Boyle live now?

Despite amassing a reported fortune of $40 million, Boyle still lives in the family home in West Lothian, Scotland in which she grew up, she told The Guardian in 2015.

The down-to-earth singer said, “I did buy a posh house after BGT, but I never moved in. My niece lives there now.”

Originally published Jul 28, 2023.