It’s been 15 years since Susan Boyle made an appearance on Britain’s Got Talent. When she delivered “I Dreamed a Dream” in 2009, she appeared healthy.
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The Scottish singer, 62, returned to the legendary stage over the weekend (June 4) for the grand finale of the competition show and declared that she recently suffered a stroke. Following a breathtaking performance alongside the West End cast of Les Misérables, BGT hosts Dec Donnelly and Ant McPartlin asked the household name how she felt about stepping back into the limelight.
“It feels great,” declared Boyle. “It is extra special for me actually because last April there, I suffered a minor stroke.”
Boyle continued to mention that she has been working tirelessly on her recovery to get back into performing shape.
“I have fought like crazy to get back on stage,” she said. “And I have done it.”
Following an explosion of joyous cheers, Simon Cowell chimed in to welcome the artist back and congratulate her on the massive milestone. Cowell is the show’s creator and one of the judges on the panel.
“Unbelievable,” Cowell said. “Susan, we owe you so much, and I knew you weren’t well. But, if anyone was going to come back you were going to come back, because it wouldn’t be the same without you.”
Following the heartwarming appearance, the singer/songwriter turned to social media to detail her recovery journey and recap the memorable evening.
“Tonight I had the privilege of returning to @bgt and performing with the wonderful cast of @lesmizofficial. This evening was even more special for me as in April of 2022 I had a stroke,” she wrote alongside an Instagram carousel. “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 & tonight, my hard work & perseverance paid off, singing the song that started it all, ‘I Dreamed A Dream.’”
The “Oh Happy Day” singer appeared on the third season of the television competition. Boyle did not walk away with the grand title but came in second place. Within the same year, she started her solo music career and released her debut album, I Dreamed a Dream. Boyle became an international sensation, as the LP peaked at No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States and became the best-selling album of 2009 globally.
She went on to release her sophomore record, The Gift, which became a chart-topping holiday collection in the United Kingdom. Before her health scare, Boyle dropped eight studio albums and embarked on multiple world tours.
The Grammy-nominated artist has no performances or appearances scheduled for 2023.
(Photo by Robert Benson/Getty Images for Susan Boyle)
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