Susan Boyle made a rare public appearance as she cheered on a fellow Scot making her Gladiators debut.
The Britain’s Got Talent star, 62, attended a viewing party for the rebooted classic gameshow and showed her support for contender Kerry Wilson.
Kerry documented the evening on Instagram, sharing a snap with SuBo captioned: ‘What a night with the best family and friends at the ‘Watch Party’ that was some show @bbcgladiators put on!!!!
‘I even had a celebrity guest wanting to come watch too thanks for coming Susan ❤️ We enjoyed every minute of that episode!!’
Susan looked in high spirits in the snap as she flexed her muscles while posing alongside Kerry – who has made it through the quarter finals.
Susan Boyle made a rare public appearance as she cheered on a fellow Scot making her Gladiators debut at a viewing party
Susan was last seen performing at the final of Britain’s Get Talent in June when she sang at the final and revealed she had suffered a ‘minor’ stroke but in reality it left her speech ‘almost unintelligible.’
Susan was last seen performing at the final of Britain’s Get Talent in June when she sang at the final.
Her performance was typically low key, with Susan revealing that she had suffered a ‘minor’ stroke in 2022.
But what the singer was too modest to mention was that she has actually made an amazing recovery after a full stroke which left her speech ‘almost unintelligible.’
Susan had to learn how to speak clearly again and also had to have intensive vocal coaching so that she could sing.
She spent over a year working almost constantly on both, after being left with significant muscular weakness down one side, a dropped face and slurred speech.
Sources indicate that she had appeared in perfect health on the eve of the stroke in April 2022.
Her PA Geraldine said goodnight to her as normal at the ex-council house in Blackburn West Lothian where she has always lived.
However returning the following morning it was clear that, while alone, the singer had been stricken.
Kerry made it through the quarter finals after winning her game of Gladiators
The source said: ‘The PA came over to see her that morning, they often go out for breakfast together but as soon as she saw Susan she realised that they needed to go straight to hospital.
‘She was able to walk but had a dropped face and was slurring her words. She was capable of speech but it was hard to work out what she was saying.’
READ MORE: Inside the career of Susan Boyle
There were fears that the stroke might mean that Boyle, who has sold around 25 million albums in her career, might never sing again.
‘All she has ever wanted to do is sing and she was at that point convinced that her career was over. She was devastated, very deeply upset as well as being ill.
‘She hired a private speech therapist once the crisis was over and she was out of hospital.
‘Since then she has been seeing him a few times a week plus doing homework in between and also seeing her regular vocal coach.
‘She has worked very hard to get to the point where she could perform last night although we are not quite back to the point she was before the stroke.’
As she has suffered a stroke she is at increased risk of suffering a second one, which means that her management team have to be very careful to pace her commitments.
There are hopes that she will do a concert tour – her last one was in March 2020 just before lockdown – although it will most likely be more sporadic in nature and will probably not happen until at least 2024.
‘She is at her happiest on the stage and is keen to get out there but is advised by a small team who are not gung ho about anything to do with her health,’ I’m told.
‘But Susan is a very positive and upbeat person and can see a way back to performing again.’
Susan had to learn how to speak clearly again and also had to have intensive vocal coaching so that she could sing after her stroke (pictured during her first audition on BGT in 2009)