By ALAN COWELL
Published: June 1, 2009

LONDON — Hours after being beaten into second place on the “Britain’s Got Talent” TV show, Susan Boyle, an instant celebrity who rose from obscurity to global renown and recognition, was taken from a London hotel to a private clinic under police escort Sunday night, the police and her associates said Monday.
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Susan Boyle Places Second on British Talent TV Show (May 31, 2009)

Scotland Yard did not explain what she was suffering from, or identify her by name. But, in response to questions about Ms. Boyle, a spokeswoman said: “Police were called to doctors assessing a woman under the Mental Health Act. The woman was taken voluntarily by ambulance to a clinic. At the request of doctors, police accompanied the ambulance.”

British newspapers reported that she had been begun to behave erratically after losing to a dance group called Diversity in the Saturday night finals of the show that had transformed her into a worldwide phenomenon. In public she had seemed gracious in defeat.

But one of the show’s judges, Piers Morgan, said Monday that Ms. Boyle, 47, was emotionally drained and exhausted. “Nobody has had to put up with the kind of attention Susan has had. Nobody could have predicted it,” he told GMTV.

“It has been crazy, she has gone from anonymity to being the most downloaded woman in history,” he said.

“She was very tired and hasn’t been sleeping. She has just gone away to have some time to herself and to sleep and eat, doing all the things she hasn’t been able to do in the last week.”

The development is certain to renew discussion about the intense pressures that build on contestants in talent shows that form a large part of Britain’s popular television diet.

Fred O’Neil, a former voice coach, told the BBC: “It’s such a tragic situation, a woman who really just loves to sing, an innocent woman really, who is just caught up in this fame game.”

“I just hope that whatever fame that she has got out of this will eventually bring her some happiness. Obviously at the present time it is not,” he said.

While newspaper reports said she had been angry and said “I hate this show” after her defeat, the winners said she had been “gracious” and “nice.”

The final on Saturday became Britain’s most watched television program for five years, the Press Association news agency reported, with a peak of 19.2 million viewers.

Diversity, the winners, took 24.9% of the public vote in the final, above Boyle’s 20.2% share. Just under four million people voted, according to ITV, the channel that aired it.

Ms. Boyle’s stardom began when up to 90 million people saw a video of her audition posted on YouTube.

British news reports said Ms. Boyle had been taken to The Priory, an up-scale clinic often associated with celebrity patients. But the clinic declined to comment.

Such is the intense interest in Ms. Boyle that Prime Minister Gordon Brown, embroiled in the worst political crisis of his career, took time during a television interview Monday to wish the singer well.

For weeks Ms. Boyle was the undisputed favorite as people around the world followed the fortunes of a middle-aged woman from a small town in Scotland singing with such poise and power. But adulation begin to ease last week with various tabloid newspapers reporting erratic and allegedly abusive behavior as she awaited the finals.

Britain's Got Talent runner-up Susan Boyle has been taken to a private London clinic with exhaustion.

A woman was taken voluntarily by ambulance to a clinic, police said.

Officers were called to a London hotel on Sunday at 1800 BST to doctors assessing a woman under the Mental Health Act, Scotland Yard said.

The Sun said the Scottish singer was admitted to the Priory clinic with exhaustion, a day after she lost out to dance group Diversity in the ITV1 show.

The Priory Clinic said: "We can neither confirm nor deny the reports."

'Emotionally drained'

Diversity beat the West Lothian singer to be named the winners of the talent show on Saturday night in a final watched by an audience of more than 18 million.

On Sunday, it emerged Boyle was taking time off on the advice of a doctor.

Television company TalkbackThames released a statement: "Following Saturday night's show, Susan is 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."

"We offer her our ongoing support and wish her a speedy recovery."

The singer became an international singing sensation after first performing I Dreamed A Dream in the contest, a song she reprised for the final.

Her performances have attracted millions of hits on video-sharing websites and led to an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown told GMTV that he had spoken to Simon Cowell and Piers Morgan to check on Boyle's progress.

"I hope Susan Boyle is OK because she is a really, really nice person and I think she will do well," he added.

Britain's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan told GMTV that the attention Boyle received has been "crazy" and "nobody could have predicted it".

He said she had been subjected to huge pressure, but was "essentially fine". HAVE YOUR SAY Susan will still have success I am sure if she can overcome her present problems Jane, Portsmouth

"She was very tired and hasn't been sleeping. She has just gone away to have some time to herself and to sleep and eat, doing all the things she hasn't been able to do in the last week," he added.

Publicist Max Clifford said people in Boyle's situation "need people around them to understand how the business works."

He added that "everyone connected to the show has a responsibility" to help contestants, but its makers - including Simon Cowell - would be aware of this.

Fred O'Neil, one of Boyle's friends who was her voice coach, said it was a "sad situation".

"She just was caught up in all of this and I think that she will never have had an idea, at the beginning, the price that she might have to pay."
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The 47 year-old singer, who delighted everyone with her powerful performance of I Dreamed A Dream from Les Mis on Saturday’s show, hasn’t let stardom go to her head.

Instead she turned up for church as usual on Easter Sunday morning, reportedly receiving rapturous applause from her friends in the congregation.

She said, “It was incredible. Although we sing in church not a lot of them know how good I was, so it was a bit of a shock for them”.

“Everyone is very nice and it’s lovely when all the kids stop me in the street to congratulate me.”

Many of the churchgoers know Susan well – but for different reasons. Currently unemployed, the singer devotes a lot of time doing community work on the church’s behalf.

She told us, “I like to help out where I can and I mostly do voluntary work. I help out the elderly, stuff like that. And I visit people in hospital. I’ve been doing that for a year and a half now”.

It’s been a tough time for Susan, who now lives alone in her childhood home following the death of her 91 year-old mother, Bridget, in 2007.

But Susan’s positive attitude - as well as her desire to keep busy - has kept her spirits up.

She told us, “A lot of things can happen that have been really sad and you’ve got to cover it up. You either laugh or you’d greet (cry). And we’d all be greeting, that would be a terrible mess”.

“Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry alone. I don’t intend to be alone for long”.

Judging by the many messages of support on this website, Susan has millions of new friends and fans out there, for starters. And the people of West Lothian are certainly behind her all the way!

She smiled, “The whole village is cheering me on. West Lothian would wish me well, I hope, that is the kind of community it is”.

“And I will be doing my best. Before I left, they told me, 'If you can behave yourself and stop your carry on, you will do well. You can sing okay'”.

“Who am I to let them down?”

Can Susan inspire others to show off their talents? Let us know below!