Report: Singer Susan Boyle in London clinic

[June 01, 2009]  LONDON (AP) -- Scottish singer Susan Boyle was taken to a London clinic for treatment following her second-place finish in a nationwide talent competition, a newspaper reported Monday.

Boyle, 48, was admitted to the Priory Clinic on Sunday, a day after she finished behind a male dance group in the "Britain's Got Talent" television show, the Sun newspaper reported.

Boyle was the heavy favorite to win the finals -- watched by over 19 million people -- after becoming a YouTube sensation following her first appearance on the show in April. By Friday, the pressure appeared to be building relentlessly on the shy singer, who reportedly went into seclusion after exploding at journalists from Britain's notoriously aggressive tabloids.

The television company talkbackThames said Boyle was "exhausted and emotionally drained" and was taking a few days off.

"She has been seen by her private GP who supports her decision to take a few days out for rest and recovery," the company said. "We offer her our ongoing support and wish her a speedy recovery."

London police would not directly confirm the report, but said doctors had been called to assist a woman under the Mental Health Act. Police said the woman had gone to a clinic voluntarily.

Boyle drew 20.2 percent of the vote in the final, behind the dance group Diversity, which won 24.9 percent of the 4 million votes cast.

The discovery that a 48-year-old woman from a small Scottish town was capable of singing very well on a national stage made Boyle an international sensation. Heavy media coverage followed, much of it laced with snide commentary about her looks, her social awkwardness, and her remark that she had never been kissed.

Still, on Oprah Winfrey's U.S. television show, the singer said she was "loving every second" of her unexpected stardom.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond was scathing about the media pressure.

"We've got elements of a press who like nothing better than to build people up and then drag them down," Salmond said. "It's pretty sad actually. It's almost a psychosis."

[Associated Press]

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