Susan on 5/24/09. Credit: WENN.com
I was hoping this story would turn out to be false or exaggerated, but now that People Magazine is running it there seems to be a sad element of truth to it. Scottish singer Susan Boyle, who took second place in the “Britain’s Got Talent finals” on Saturday night, is said to have been taken to a clinic after an emotional breakdown following the show.

Susan shot to fame seven weeks ago with her haunting and powerful rendition of “I Dreamed a Dream” on the “Britains Got Talent” auditions, which quickly became the most viewed video clip on the Internet of all time. She’s a down-to-earth 48 year-old unemployed woman from a small town in Scotland. Up until recently it seemed like she was dealing with everything well, and she did several gracious interviews on big shows like Oprah and Larry King Live. We heard last week that Susan was having trouble with the pressure and constant attention, though. She got upset and was overheard swearing loudly in two separate incidents ahead of the show’s final. She ultimately took second place in the competition, behind the dance troupe Diversity. That seemed fair considering that the only other song we heard from her, “Memory” from Cats, was a little shaky.

Susan was calm and kind on stage when she lost, but you could understandably see some strain on her face. She is said to have had problems handling it all after the show, and an ambulance had to be called to her hotel. She is now resting in a private clinic.

Following a crushing defeat on Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle was admitted to a private clinic in London Sunday for treatment of exhaustion, according to Britain’s Daily Mail.

Police were summoned to Boyle’s hotel in the British capital, where the Scottish singing sensation exhibited symptoms of “emotional breakdown” following the show’s Saturday finale, the paper reports.

“We were called about 6 p.m. on Sunday to a central London hotel to doctors assessing a woman under the Mental Health Act,” a police spokesperson tells the paper.

“Police attended at the request of ambulance personnel and the woman was taken voluntarily to a clinic. No one was arrested and there were no allegations of crime.”

A spokeswoman at London’s Priory Clinic – where Boyle was reportedly rushed – would not confirm or deny whether the star had been admitted, the paper reports.

Britain’s Got Talent producers released the following statement: “Following Saturday night’s show, Susan is exhausted and emotionally drained. She has been seen by her private GP who supports her decision to take a few days out for rest and recovery … We offer her our ongoing support and wish her a speedy recovery.”

[From People]

Susan seems to have a bright future ahead of her. She’s beloved around the world and can easily have a long and profitable career – if that’s what she wants. Maybe she hasn’t had enough time to process everything and think about whether this is the route she wants to take with her life. It’s got to be hard to come to terms with the quick way her world was turned around, and all of that has got to take a toll on a person. She went from living a quiet existence in the same small town she grew up in to becoming famous and having paparazzi outside her door. Hopefully Susan will get the rest and help she needs to decide what she wants to do next.

Judge Piers Morgan has confirmed that Susan is taking some time off, saying “I spoke to her yesterday for about half an hour and she’s fine. She’s gone in for some rest. She needs to get away from everyone – get away from the show, from the media, the public, and just have a bit of down time to herself.” We’re all rooting for you Susan, take care of yourself.