Susan Boyle 'drained' by pressure
Britain's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan said that singer Susan Boyle was emotionally drained and exhausted after being put under more pressure than any other contestant in the show.
He told GMTV: "Nobody has had to put up with the kind of attention Susan has had. Nobody could have predicted it. It has been crazy, she has gone from anonymity to being the most downloaded woman in history."
The singer was rushed to the Priory clinic at the weekend after she started acting strangely following her shock defeat to dance group Diversity on Saturday.
Morgan said that the length of time Boyle had to wait between her semi-final performance and the final, a week later, had added to the pressure. "It just builds and builds and builds."
He added that Boyle, unlike the other contestants, had been subject to attention from international media and added that "a little bit of negativity crept in." But he insisted that the show's runner up was, "essentially fine".
"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."
Reports about Boyle's admission to the clinic claimed that after Saturday's final she shouted backstage "I hate this show" and threw a glass of water at a member of staff who tried to calm her.
Production company talkback Thames said she was taking time out on the advice of a doctor.
Morgan denied that the defeat had shattered Boyle's dreams. "Her dream was not to win a talent competition, it was to sing professionally and she will do that." He denied reports that Boyle has already signed recording deals.
But Fred O'Neil, her friend and former voice coach, described her plight as "a tragedy", claiming fame had not brought her happiness. He told BBC Breakfast: "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."
