Thanks for sharing this. I became curious about Susan Boyle after watching this and did a bit more searching online. Here’s some background she provided a UK paper. Makes her story even more inspiring:

“I was born with a disability and that made me a target for bullies. I was called names because of my fuzzy hair and because I struggled in class. I told the teachers, but because it was more verbal than physical I could never prove anything. But words often hurt more than cuts and bruises and the scars are still there. I still see the kids I went to school with because we all live in the same area. They’re all grown up with children of their own. But look at me now – I’ve got the last laugh…Mum loved the show and used to tell me I should put my name down and that I’d win it if I did. But I never thought I was good enough. It was only after she died that I plucked up the courage to enter. It was a very dark time and I suffered depression and anxiety. But out of the darkness came light. I realised I wanted to make her proud of me and the only way to do that was to take the risk and enter the show.”

Naava