Susan Boyle is back! (Picture: REX/ITV)
A true Britain’s Got Talent icon returned to the show for the 2023 final… and it was only Susan Boyle!
Yes, the Scottish singer who said, ‘I am 47, but that’s just one side of me’, before wiggling her hips surprised everyone by coming back to sing a very special song.
Performing with the cast of the West End’s Les Misérables, Susan, now 62, duetted with Lucie Jones, 32, for I Dreamed A Dream, the well-loved tune she sang for her first audition 14 years ago.
But Susan wasn’t the only blast from the past, as you might also remember Lucie from The X Factor back in the day.
In fact, the musical theatre star was a contestant the same year that Su-Bo placed second to Diversity in BGT – what are the chances?!
Susan looked in her element and sparkled in a sequin-encrusted blue dress as she hit all the right notes, proving she never lost it!
She joined Lucie Jones for a very special duet (Picture: Dymond/Thames/Shutterstock)
They belted out I Dreamed A Dream, which Susan sang for her first audition (Picture: Wtx News UK)
Chatting to hosts Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly after earning a standing ovation from the stunned audience, Susan revealed why the duet was so important to her.
Issuing a health update to the nation, the powerhouse vocalist explained that she suffered a stroke last year.
‘It feels great (to be here),’ she said.
‘It’s extra special for me, last April I suffered a minor stroke and I fought to be back on stage and I have done it.’
Susan received rapturous applause from the crowd, while Simon Cowell was keen to heap praise on her.
‘Susan, we owe you so much,’ he told her.
The Scottish star later revealed that she suffered a stroke last year
How lovely to see her back on stage!
‘I knew you weren’t well but if anyone was going to come back, you were going to come back.
‘It wouldn’t be the same without you.’
Viewers at home were shocked to see Susan walk out of the sliding doors – but it was a very nice surprise indeed.
‘Aww! Susan Boyle is an absolute superstar in every sense of the word, so humble. It’s so good to see her back with her microphone!’, one person tweeted.
‘Susan Boyle, I will quite simply love you forever’, another declared.
‘Come on, Susan Boyle! Best moment of the show. Love it!’, one person wrote.
Another praised: ‘So glad that Susan Boyle is back. Still one of the best people to ever come out of #BGT. What a woman’.
There’s no denying that our beloved Su-Bo is one of the most successful acts to come out of BGT (Picture: Ken McKay/REX/Shutterstock)
Susan was shot to worldwide fame in 2009 after her audition to Les Mis spread like wildfire.
She was the hot favourite to win, but it was dance troupe Diversity – including Dancing On Ice judge Ashley Banjo – that took home the prize.
But that didn’t mean Susan missed out, oh no, as she went on to have the best-selling debut album of all time in 2009.
She went on to rake it in by releasing various singles and eight records, earning herself two Grammy nominations and celebrating over a decade in showbiz with a commemorative album and tour.
Meanwhile, in BGT 2023, comedian Viggo Venn was crowned the winner.
Viggo Venn was crowned this year’s winner (Picture: Dymond/Thames/Shutterstock)
The Norwegian slapstick star had everyone in stitches with his chaotic routines, earning him a spot on the bill at this year’s Royal Variety Performance.
In second place was dancer Lillianna Clifton, while magician Cillian O’Connor came second.
Not everyone was pleased with the result, however, as the likes of Musa Motha and Malakai Bayoh failed to make the top three.
Some called the result a ‘travesty’ while others complained their favourite acts were ‘robbed’.
Yes, Susan!