Susan Boyle was a 47-year-old unemployed, church volunteer from West Lothian when she auditioned for ITV's Britain's Got Talent in 2009 performing I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables.
On 25 May 2009, Susan Boyle reached the final of Britain's Got Talent.
She ended up runner-up to Diversity.
Susan Boyle has sung in choirs and school concerts she was 12.
She is a regular attender of the Catholic church, Our Lady of Lourdes in Bathgate.
In 1999, Susan Boyle's rendition of Cry Me A River was included on the Music for a Millennium Celebration disc funded by Whitburn Community Council.
At the time of Britain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle revealed that she has never had a boyfriend or kissed.
Her mother Bridget, who was a fan of Britain's Got Talent, died in 2007, aged 91.
Bridget and Susan's father Patrick, who died 10 years before Susan's performance on Britain's Got Talent, brought up Susan Boyle and her nine brothers and sisters in the house Susan still lived in 2009.
Susan Boyle's mother was a shorthand typist and her father was a store man at British Leyland in Bathgate.
Susan Boyle has a cat called Pebbles.
After coming runner-up on Britain's Got Talent, Susan Boyle entered the famous clinic The Priory, but left after 5 days, reportedly much happier.
She later joined the Britain's Got Talent live tour.
In December 2009, Susan Boyle debut I Dreamed a Dream, took top spot in the album charts, becoming the best-selling debut in UK chart history.
She also had success in the USA, where her album narrowly missed being the best seller of 2009, selling 3.1m copies in 2009 compared to Taylor Swift's 3.21m records.
