Susan Boyle opens up on devastating breakdown that almost derailed her career

She stunned the world with her incredible rendition of ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, before suffering a devastating breakdown as she struggled to come to terms with her sudden fame.

But now Susan Boyle has revealed she’s “coping better” with her celebrity status as she prepares to release her eighth studio album.

In an exclusive interview with The Sun, the Scottish singer has opened up about her mental illness, including a diagnosis of Asperger’s in 2013.

“I’m managing things a lot better now. It was a slow process. Everything is with me,” the 57-year-old revealed.

Her quick rise to fame all those years ago hit a low point when she briefly checked into rehab after coming second to dance group Diversity. Her Asperger’s syndrome — a developmental disorder affecting ability to effectively socialise and communicate — was so severe she couldn’t bring herself to set tour dates.

“It can be difficult to talk about mental health issues, as there is a kind of fear about that,” she told the publication. “Years ago there used to be a stigma about it but now there is more knowledge, more expertise, and talking about things makes it a lot easier. A lot easier.”

Meanwhile, while she’s broken a number of musical records since her audition, the former charity worker revealed one of her biggest regrets was that her parents never saw her success. Her mother Bridget died aged 91, two years before her audition, while her dad Patrick, a World War Two veteran, passed away in 1997, aged 81.

Elsewhere, despite being worth around £12million (AU$22) – and reportedly buying a £300,000 five-bed detached property in her hometown shortly after her success on the show – Susan has instead insisted to the news outlet that she prefers a humble lifestyle as she still lives in her parents’ council house.

“It’s good to be in your mum’s house as well, there’s a lot of nice memories in my mum’s. I sort of feel she’s present here, somehow,” she added.

Read more: Simon Cowell tells Susan Boyle he was ‘disgusting’ at her first audition

It comes after Simon Cowell admitted he was “disgusting” the first time she auditioned for Britain’s Got Talent. A sneak peek of Susan’s final performance has been leaked online, which shows her tackling the same Les Miserables tune that propelled her to stardom a decade ago.

But the emotional performance brought back bittersweet memories for judge Simon Cowell, who said he was transported back to Susan’s first ever audition in Glasgow in 2009 whilst he listened to her sing.

“Oh my god Susan,” he said. “That really, really took me back all those years.

“I can remember vividly how disgusting I was on the day before you sang and then what you did and what happened afterwards. And to end the show, it’s been an amazing night, I mean seriously it was fantastic. You’re a champion.”

Susan has been taking part in the champions version of the TV talent show in the United States, alongside other households names such as Brit opera singer Paul Potts, who won the first ever series of Britain’s Got Talent in 2007, and Aussie contestants Justice Crew.

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