Susan drinks to her semi-final place

Published on Saturday 23 May 2009 18:58

SUSAN Boyle's triumphant rise from unknown diva to singing sensation continued last night after she soared through to the semi-finals of Britain's Got Talent.

The West Lothian singer was awarded the unanimous backing of judges in her first appearance on the show since her extraordinary debut last month. Although she did not perform at the last of the show's auditions, she learned she was through to the semis, the first of which will be broadcast live tonight.

The shy 48-year-old became an overnight celebrity when her performance of I Dreamed A Dream was seen by more than 100 million people around the world.

Although it catapulted her to fame, Boyle last night revealed that she had never heard of the internet video site YouTube.

Despite being feted by Oprah Winfrey and championed by her heroine Elaine Paige, she admitted she was still filled with nerves at facing the TV cameras again. "I can't believe I'm in the semi-finals," she said.

The never-been-kissed singer also confessed that she had been blissfully unaware of the medium that sent her performance around the globe.

She said: "Until six weeks ago the only tube I knew of was a tube of Smarties.

"The number of hits on YouTube has just been amazing and the messages of support from all over the world have just been unbelievable and very touching."

The former lounge-bar karaoke queen insisted she never dreamed that she would ever reach the final stages of the ITV talent contest.

She said: "I never even thought I'd get past the judges. I can't believe I'm in the semi-finals and I've been overwhelmed by the public reaction to my first audition.

"I'd just like to thank all my fans for the support they have shown me, especially everyone back at home in Bathgate."

Boyle played down speculation that she would undergo a dramatic image transformation before her semi-final appearance.

She said: "I have got a nice outfit to wear that I'm really happy with, but I just want people to see me for who I am. I'm very nervous and I really don't know what to expect, but I'm just going to go out there and do my best."

The vocalist refused to reveal what song she had chosen for her bid. to make it to the final stating: "That will be a surprise."

Boyle will appear on the first of a series of five semi-finals, with the public voting for their favourite act to go through to the final. The final ten will perform live next Saturday with the public voting on who will win the 10,000 prize and appear at the Royal Variety Performance.