Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Mollie Quirk

Susan Boyle now - West Lothian council house, £22million fortune and family feud

Bursting onto our screens 13 years ago, West Lothian singer Susan Boyle captured the country's hearts with her angelic voice on Britain's Got Talent.

She became an overnight national treasure as she stunned TV judges and viewers with her haunting rendition of I Dreamed a Dream from hit musical Les Misérables.

READ MORE - Edinburgh bar hits back at TripAdvisor review by diner furious about 'table'

Global fame beckoned as a clip from her performance went viral and bookmakers placed her as the clear frontrunner to win the show and bag a spot on the Royal Variety Performance.

The Mirror reports how she was pipped to the top prize by dance troupe Diversity but a second place finish did nothing to hinder the now-61-year-old's success as Susan took the world by storm.

Yet despite all the plaudits and worldwide fame, she has remained down-to-earth and completely humbled by what she has achieved.

With BGT having just returned to our screens over the weekend, we thought it would be fitting to take a look at the life of one of its biggest success stories...

Since shooting to fame, Susan's career has reportedly made her an impressive £22million.

She has released a number of albums, which have all likely earned her a healthy amount of money.

Her discography is as follows: I Dreamed a Dream (2009), The Gift (2010), Someone to Watch Over Me (2011), Standing Ovation: The Greatest Songs from the Stage (2012), Home for Christmas (2013), Hope (2014), A Wonderful World (2016) and her most recent – Ten (2019).

Even though she's got a reported thousands of pounds in the bank, she previously revealed to Piers Morgan that she's thrifty when it comes to budgeting.

She explained to the former GMB anchor, turned TalkTV host that she gives herself a humble £300-£500 per week to live on, dubbing it "plenty".

The Sun revealed last year that the companies that she owns are generating millions of pounds.

Susan owns Duil Limited, Speur Business, Speur Ltd and Speur Films – which have all amassed a combined £2million in recent years.

Humble home

Despite being flushed with money, Susan still lives in her childhood home in Blackburn, West Lothian.

The ex-council house is said to have set her back a modest £111,000, which is a small price to pay for somebody with a bursting bank balance.

She has tried out living elsewhere though, but the humble singer wasn't suited to it.

After shelling out £300K for a five-bedroom house for herself and her niece, she couldn't hack it so moved back into her original ex-council home.

Speaking to OK! Magazine in the past, Susan explained: "It’s to do with the memories of your house and your upbringing, you need to take stock of things and maybe see where you come from and where your roots lie.

"It’s best to be grounded and with your roots. It keeps you grounded and prevents you from saying things maybe you shouldn't say."

Weight loss journey

In 2016 Susan revealed shed a whopping two stone after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

Speaking to us in an interview back in 2016, Susan spoke of her body transformation and said: "I needed to stop eating sweeties and cakes. It’s the bane of my life.

"I had to lose the weight for my health."

Love life and romance with doctor

While touring, Susan met a hunky American doctor, and the pair ended up dating – something that marked the singer's first romantic relationship.

Speaking to us in her exclusive interview from 2016, she divulged: "I don’t want to reveal the doctor’s name. It’s nothing serious at the moment. I will send him a picture of my weight loss – if he’s a good boy! I do enjoy male companionship.

"I would love to adopt a child too but my cat might get jealous. I don’t want to see a cat and a baby fighting. It’s something I might do later."

Speaking about her love affair afterwards, she said: "I did have a gentleman friend, a doctor.

"We went for lunch but I didn't tell anyone.

"But if I had a man friend it would be purely platonic - I've been on my own too long now to get married."

Family feud

Susan and her brother Gerry had a bit of a falling out.

They allegedly went for more than two years without speaking.

Something that came after rumours spiralled saying that Gerry had said he had threatened to take his own life if his sister didn't give him £50K.

Reports say that Susan has given her brother around £400K over the years.

They have been on good terms since 2016 though, proving their family bond to be unbreakable.

Delighted over their rekindled relationship, she told Sunday Mirror last year: "I’m very happy, it’s a great relief and I’m looking to the future with a happy smile.

"Everything is hunky dory and fantastic."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.