Susan Boyle reveals she suffered a stroke: ‘I’ve worked so hard to get my speech and singing back’

Susan Boyle opened up about suffering a stroke last year and working “so hard” to be able to speak and sing again. 

The singer shared the news during her return to the Britain’s Got Talent stage just recently, where she sang I Dreamed a Dream from Les Miserables. She revealed her comeback felt great and “extra special” because she had a minor stroke in April 2022.

“I have fought like crazy to get back on stage—and I have done it,” she said. 

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stroke “occurs when something blocks blood supply to part of the brain or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts.” The National Institutes of Health said its signs “can range from mild weakness to paralysis or numbness on one side of the face or body.” Other signs include sudden and severe headache, sudden weakness, trouble seeing, and trouble speaking or understanding speech.

In an Instagram post after her performance, Susan talked more about the health scare she faced. “For the past year, I have worked so hard to get my speech and singing back, with the sole aim of being able to sing on stage again,” she wrote. 

“Tonight, my hard work and perseverance paid off, singing the song that started it all, I Dreamed a Dream,” the talented 62-year-old continued.

Susan wowed the audience and judges on the third season of Britain’s Got Talent in 2007, where she placed second. She dropped her album I Dreamed a Dream in November of that year, including her own version of the song. According to entertainment portal Page Six, the project “became the UK’s best-selling debut album of all time.”