Susan Boyle or SuBo as she is more affectionately known has spoken honestly about her own Asperger’s diagnosis for the first time.
The singing sensation who took the judges of Britain’s got talents and stole the heart of a nation in 2009, was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome just over a year ago.
Throughout her life she has been labelled as ‘brain damaged’ and knew she was different from a very young age, but doctors gave her the wrong diagnosis as a child. She decided to keep her diagnosis secret until a candid interview this week with The Observer in the UK.
She said during the interview:
“It was the wrong diagnosis when I was a kid. I was told I had brain damage. I always knew it was an unfair label. Now, I have a clearer understanding of what’s wrong and I feel relieved and a bit more relaxed about myself.”
The 52 year old has recently starred in a festive Christmas flick called Christmas Candle, and the story of her life could soon be made into a feature movie by Fox Stars, with Oscar winning actress Meryl Streep playing the lead role.
The singer has had a number of amazing achievements sometimes marred by unexplained and emotional outbursts.
In the interview she explains how different she felt to other children growing up in the rural are of Lothian in Scotland. The children in her village used to call her Susie Simple, because she couldn’t interact with them. She at last knows why she felt so isolated from her classmates.
She sought medical advice, and was given a number of standardised tests by the doctors she saw. She said:
“I went to seek a diagnosis from a Scottish specialist. Nobody told me to. I thought I had a more serious illness and couldn’t function properly. I was told my IQ was above average”.
The singer has also suffered bouts of depression vulnerability, especially since hitting the public eye in 2009.
She said:
“I am not strong on my own. When I have the support of people around me I am fine. I have a great team.”
She says that the diagnosis won’t change her, but has come as a blessed relief from knowing that she was different as a child, at least now she can give it a name. She said:
“It will not make any difference to my life. It’s just a condition that I have to live with and work through.
I think people will treat me better because they will have a much greater understanding of who I am and why I do the things I do.”