UK singer Susan Boyle says she has been diagnosed with Asperger's; news came as 'a relief'

12/8/2013
ASSOCIATED PRESS

LONDON — Singer Susan Boyle says she has been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a form of autism.

Boyle told The Observer newspaper that she saw a specialist a year ago, and “it is a relief” to have the right label for her condition.

Boyle had learning difficulties as a child, which she was told were the result of brain damage from oxygen deprivation at birth.

In the interview published Sunday she said: “I have always known that I have had an unfair label put upon me.”

The church volunteer from a small Scottish town became a global sensation when she sang “I Dreamed a Dream” on TV contest “Britain’s Got Talent” in 2009.

She has since sold millions of records, and makes her big-screen debut in holiday movie “The Christmas Candle.”