Susan Boyle has shown off her weight loss of around two stone as she spoke about her new album and revealed that performing live may not be on the cards for a while.
The 55-year-old star of Britain’s Got Talent said Asperger’s syndrome has stopped her from taking to the stage of late.
The Scottish star explained she has not been in the limelight due to focusing on her health and weight loss.
She told the Sunday Mirror: “I haven’t performed live because I’ve been ill. The short answer is that it has been connected to my Asperger’s syndrome.
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“When you sing, you put on a persona. I hide behind that person on stage. You can feel like death, but you have to put it on. The audience wants to see someone smiley.
“There are no firm dates for another tour. I’m taking baby steps. I’ve decided to record and see how it does first.”
Which Susan Boyle tracks have you listened to today? Tell us below. pic.twitter.com/WiEpwNi5Yl
— Susan Boyle (@SusanBoyleHQ) March 15, 2016
She is due to release her new album, A Wonderful World, at the end of the week.
She was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome in 2012. The syndrome is a form of autism, which is a lifelong developmental disability that affects how a person makes sense of the world, processes information and relates to other people.
She added she had opted to “do a little at a time. Record, see how it does. Then build it up from there. When you have been ill, it’s a bit like a house. You rebuild the floor first”.
Since rising to fame in 2009 on Britain’s Got Talent, she has performed for the Pope, the Queen and taken to the stage alongside her idol, Elaine Paige.
Before being diagnosed with Asperger’s, her behaviour was thought to be as a result of being starved of oxygen at birth.
She was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and doctors told her she needed to lose weight.
She 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.”
Susan sparked concerns about her health in April this year, following an incident that saw her escorted out of Heathrow Airport, but her spokeswoman later explained that her behaviour had been characteristic of Asperger’s.
It’s been 7 YEARS since Susan’s @BGT audition! Do you remember watching it for the first time? pic.twitter.com/FkY8Klsm0k
— Susan Boyle (@SusanBoyleHQ) January 21, 2016
She told the Sunday Mirror: “It’s like being on a rollercoaster. You’ve got me on a good day but I’m always up and down.
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“With guidance, I can stay on a level. I have breathing exercises I can do. Losing Bridie (her sister, who died last year) has been very hard.
“She encouraged me in all I did and came to my shows. She’d be very happy I have a new album. I just remind myself she is in a beautiful place now, not in pain and she’s watching over me.”
Her new album features her rendition of Madonna’s Like A Prayer, Robbie Williams’s Angels and a “virtual duet” of When I Fall In Love, with Nat King Cole.