LONDON, June 1, 2009

Susan Boyle Hospitalized

"BGT" Judges, Her Voice Coach Comment On "The Early Show"; She's Said To Be Exhausted Following "BGT" 2nd-Place Finish

  • Play CBS Video Video Susan Boyle's Breakdown

    "Britain's Got Talent" judge Amanda Holden talks to Maggie Rodriguez and Harry Smith about how Susan Boyle's worldwide fame has affected her health. Boyle is suffering from apparent exhaustion.

    • Susan Boyle performs in the finals of the

      Susan Boyle performs in the finals of the "Britain's Got Talent" competition, May 30, 2009.  (ITV)

    • "Well worth it, well worth it!" Boyle said, when asked afterwards if it was worth the pressure and media scrutiny leading up to tonight's finals.  (ITV)

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  • Photo Essay Singin' Susan Boyle

    Though she came in second place on "Britain's Got Talent," the singer has become a worldwide sensation

(CBS/AP)  Scottish singing sensation Susan Boyle was taken to a London clinic for treatment following her second-place finish in a nationwide talent competition.

Boyle, 48, was admitted to the Priory Clinic on Sunday, a day after she finished behind a male dance group in the "Britain's Got Talent" television show, reports CBS News correspondent Richard Roth, who says officials at the clinic won't comment on the situation.

Boyle was the heavy favorite to win the finals -- watched by over 19 million people -- after becoming a YouTube sensation following her first appearance on the show in April. By Friday, the pressure appeared to be building relentlessly on the shy singer, who reportedly went into seclusion after exploding at journalists from Britain's notoriously aggressive tabloids.

The television company talkbackThames said Boyle was "exhausted and emotionally drained" and was taking a few days off.

"She has been seen by her private GP, who supports her decision to take a few days out for rest and recovery," the company said. "We offer her our ongoing support and wish her a speedy recovery."

Roth says the clinic specializes in addiction recovery -- and mental health care.

Britain's Sun newspaper adds that, after tears and a tantrum from Boyle, her handlers had to help her into an ambulance to get her to the clinic.

"BGT" judge Amanda Holden said on The Early Show Monday she thinks "it's kind of what everybody's saying, really. I think it's taken its toll on her. She's gone from a woman nobody knew to worldwide fame, and I think, for anybody in the business to handle that kind of stress is an enormous amount of pressure, and I think she probably has just crumbled under it. ... She will just need some time to recuperate and rest. And actually, it's probably a blessing she didn't win, because now the spotlight is not so heavily on her. So, perhaps now she can just relax and enjoy what's happening to her, rather than feel the pressure."

Another "BGT" judge says Boyle had been seeing doctors all week, but she's fine. "She needs to get away from everyone," observed Piers Morgan, "get away from the show, from the media, from the public, and just have a bit of downtime to herself to sleep."

"Like her sudden rise to fame," Roth points out, "Boyle's surprising upset helped fuel a ratings bonanza for the TV talent show -- whose critics now are asking if a vulnerable woman was exploited in the process."

Boyle's first voice coach, Fred O'Neil, recalled on The Early Show Monday that, "When (Boyle) told me she was going in to "Britian's Got Talent," it seemed like a great, great thing for Susan to do. She'd been in lots of talent competitions before. And her dream is to sing, and to be heard by a larger audience. So, that all seemed wonderful. It was just, when it kicked off into this massive YouTube, global attention that I was starting to worry. You know, around her house, it was like an absolute media circus. You really couldn't even drive down her street."

Continued



© MMIX, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Add a Comment See all 39 Comments
by BC Kelly June 2, 2009 5:39 PM EDT
Get a copy of the lyrics to I Dreamed a Dream

And then get both of Ms Boyle's performances on youtube to watch and listen


Now - pay close attention to "how" Susan sang those words the first time

And compare that to this past weekend

Same song, same words - VERY different inflections, facial expressions, etc

And VERY different meaning behind those words



As many have said - her initial impact says more about us than her

And the "way" she sang that song the 2nd time says a LOT about our Media Circus


Hopefully we'll all wake up to "what" Susan represents

And stop this canary, and her song, from dying in the mine



Here's to all the Susan Boyles out there in the World

And to the Susan Boyle in each of us
Reply to this comment
by troglobyte June 2, 2009 1:38 PM EDT
Just feel better, then get out there and blow us away again. Your talent transcends the petty crap the world is trying to throw at you.
Reply to this comment
by dragyn30 June 2, 2009 10:47 AM EDT
The media and lately CBS treats people as disposable commodities in their quest for ratings!!!

Susan Boyle did a great job and showed her talent - then the media attacked like a pack of wild dogs on a wound animal - CONGRATULATIONS MEDIA PIGS YOU BROKE ANOTHER ONE!!!

None of you, not a one could do what she did! Shame on you for exploiting her!
Reply to this comment
by oshea43 June 2, 2009 12:03 AM EDT
Without a doubt Susan Boyle was the winner the first moment she stepped on stage and sang that first note. To say she lost is ridiculous considering the "winner" was determined by how many phone calls made it through. That was a crap shoot. Susan Boyle has a God-given talent that can not be taught. She will be back; stronger than ever and doing what she wanted to do in the first place-Sing-and sing she can. What a winner-a real winner!
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by heidi611 June 1, 2009 10:41 PM EDT
Susan is the greatest! I wonder who was voting maybe the ages 16 or 17 years of age to haved voted in a dance like Diversity. Susan is a much better choice to perform for the queen. Susan is a strong woman and she will be back bigger and better than every. I wish her the best! I will buy your first CD
Reply to this comment
by sandi umble June 1, 2009 7:45 PM EDT
susan boyle should have won by a landslide! she is wonderful..i just wish i knew her address so i could write to her and give her encouragement that she needs! those dancers have NO TALENT what so ever!go susan, i,m routing for you all the way! sandi umble holden ,maine
Reply to this comment
by saxe14 June 1, 2009 7:20 PM EDT
Shame on the nightly news hosts for making comments about a shining star going out as quickly as it started. Not an exact quote...but you get the point. Susan Boyle has a wonderful voice and is a charming person. Star gone out...Oh Susan, please don't stop your singing. Please record an album. You have only begun to keep your promise to your mother. Do it on your conditions. Stay has warm as you are.
Reply to this comment
by saturn05 June 1, 2009 6:37 PM EDT
I'm sorry but that dance act wasn't even that great and that type of dancing went out in the 80's and early 90's. Susan has more talent than some stupid dance group that will not go anywhere. It is a shame that the Queen will have to endure their horrible lack of talent. Susan has a right to privacy in her need to rest after the spotlight and and quite frankly after to losing to DIversity, I would have had a full-blown nervous breakdown.
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by VictoryM June 1, 2009 6:14 PM EDT
I'm very sorry to read about the breakdown, or nervous exhaustion of Susan Boyle. I dislike most "reality" shows, but I have enjoyed some of the amateur talent displayed recently. The abusive treatment seen on these shows is not new. I'm old enough to remember Major Bowes' Amateur Hour on radio, and that had its meanness, too. People don't change, and the media just hypes whatever will bet as much attention as possible. The so-called reality shows aren't the worst of TV. I find very little on TV worth watching, as most of the programs deal with violence and murder. I think if there were public hangings, that people would still enjoy watching them with sick pleasure. I guess humanity is still evolving, and I hope it eventually will actually become "humane". Susan Boyle has been the victim of TV comedians, and they ought to be ashamed to make fun of her for the sake of a cheap laugh. She hasn't done anything to cause her shame. She has tremendous talent, and I hope she recovers and will find a way to use her ability for her sake and for the pleasure her voice gives the public.
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by incog-nito June 1, 2009 6:13 PM EDT
The term "exhaustion" is just what it means. She's probably been very nervous and anxious and tense in the past few weeks to get any decent sleep or rest. Don't read too much into it.
Reply to this comment
by erasmus111 June 1, 2009 5:16 PM EDT
You Americans are really slow.

Posted by delboy01-2009 at 1:54 PM : Jun 1, 2009

I'm not an American. And I'm not slow. I don't believe anything that I read.
Reply to this comment
by delboy01-2009 June 1, 2009 4:54 PM EDT
erasmus111

You Americans are really slow. Of course it is a euphemism. It was a statement put out by the show's producers. This was a woman who had learning difficulties, was severely bullied as a child, was a shy private woman, who looked after her parents until they died recently. So she has all these issues and she suddenly becomes the world's most famous woman in a span of a few weeks. The media attention could easily send someone over the edge who already has many personal demons.

While the American public are asking when she is going to bring out a CD, in Britain they are asking did the show exploit a vulnerable woman for ratings. If the public were to complain the show makers could be fined $10 million dollars plus by the TV regulators. Therefore it is in their interest to say Susan Boyle is 'exhausted' rather than say she is suffering mental health problems from taking part in the show. This is why Amanda and Piers have been on every show in the UK and world saying it is just a case of 'exhaustion' as they are on the payroll.
Reply to this comment
by erasmus111 June 1, 2009 3:29 PM EDT
"Exhaustion" is a euphemism for "too upset to function". It does happen more easily when tired, as any parent knows. In this country they call it a "nervous breakdown". Or, at least, they used to.

ge556
Posted by at 12:22 PM : Jun 1, 2009

In my country, it means "extreme fatigue". Meaning you are really, really tired. I've never heard it called a "nervous breakdown" before.
Reply to this comment
by rrozsa June 1, 2009 3:28 PM EDT
Sorry, ge556, I didn't see until I had posted that you said exactly the same thing.....
Reply to this comment
by rrozsa June 1, 2009 3:27 PM EDT
A MENTAL HEALTH CLINIC????......for EXHAUSTION????

They still living in the dark ages or something?
Posted by erasmus111 at 12:06 PM : Jun 1, 2009

===========================

It's what they USED to call a "nervous breakdown".
Reply to this comment
by June 1, 2009 3:22 PM EDT
A MENTAL HEALTH CLINIC????......for EXHAUSTION????

They still living in the dark ages or something?
Posted by erasmus111 at 12:06 PM : Jun 1, 2009

"Exhaustion" is a euphemism for "too upset to function". It does happen more easily when tired, as any parent knows. In this country they call it a "nervous breakdown". Or, at least, they used to.

ge556
Reply to this comment
by lyndar2 June 1, 2009 3:17 PM EDT
Who would the Queen really rather spend time with? A tea sipping Scottish lass or a
bunch of hopping around guys?
Reply to this comment
by erasmus111 June 1, 2009 3:06 PM EDT
A MENTAL HEALTH CLINIC????......for EXHAUSTION????

They still living in the dark ages or something?
Reply to this comment
by JustJayb June 1, 2009 1:48 PM EDT
Very disappointed that Susan Boyle did not win. I can not understand how the Dance Group (Diversity) would win over Susan Boyle. What were the people of thinking to vote for Diversity over Susan Boyle who had a beautiful voice. It is their loss.
Reply to this comment
by heaven4sure June 1, 2009 11:54 AM EDT
Susan has an awesome voice. I hope she will soon recover. I also hope she will not settle in life for fame and outward success. It is all so tempting yet so short-lived. A life built around glamor and fame will be a huge disappointment and ultimately end in tragedy.

Michael Jackson spoke at Oxford University about having everything on the 'outside' but so very little on the inside. It is no wonder that his speech was interrupted by his own sobs. You can read more about it but copying and pasting this link into your browser:

http://www.heaven4sure.com/MeandGodQuestions/LifeLessons/tabid/58/ctl/ArticleView/mid/387/articleId/26/Michael-Jackson-Weeps-at-Oxford-University.aspx
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