Internet singing star Susan Boyle has been admitted to a private clinic after being beaten in the final of the popular Britain’s Got Talent television contest, media reported.
Boyle, 48, had been heavily backed to beat nine other finalists late on Saturday after clips of her first appearance on the show in April were downloaded nearly 200 million times and she was hailed the world over as a superstar.
But according to the Sun newspaper, Boyle suffered an “emotional breakdown” at her hotel in London on Sunday.
A police spokesman confirmed that officers had been called to a London hotel “to doctors attending a woman under the mental health act.”
“She was taken voluntarily by ambulance to a clinic. At the request of doctors, police accompanied the ambulance,” the spokesman said.
Despite expectations that Boyle would make a fortune from her talent and almost instant fame, there has been concern among show organizers about her ability to cope with pressure.
Boyle, who was starved of oxygen at birth leading to minor brain damage, has been pursued by the world’s press since early April and, according to show judge Piers Morgan, broke down in tears repeatedly during the runup to the final.
Nearly 4 million people phoned in to choose a winner, and street dance troupe Diversity won 24.9 percent of the vote ahead of Boyle’s 20.2 percent. Diversity won £100,000 (US$160,000) and will appear at the Royal Variety Performance in front of the Queen.
Boyle’s financial future had been seen as secure despite coming second since Britain’s Got Talent judge Simon Cowell and his Syco music label were widely expected to sign her up for an album. There has also been talk of a Hollywood movie being made about her story.
Media quoted the TV show’s makers as saying Boyle was “exhausted and emotionally drained.”
“She has been seen by her private GP, who supports her decision to take a few days out for rest and recovery,” the newspaper quoted the statement as saying.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of
A prominent Christian leader has allegedly been stabbed at the altar during a Mass yesterday in southwest Sydney. Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel was saying Mass at Christ The Good Shepherd Church in Wakeley just after 7pm when a man approached him at the altar and allegedly stabbed toward his head multiple times. A live stream of the Mass shows the congregation swarm forward toward Emmanuel before it was cut off. The church leader gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, amassing a large online following, Officers attached to Fairfield City police area command attended a location on Welcome Street, Wakeley following reports a number