British singer Susan Boyle singing on 'Britain's Got Talent'.
Singer Susan Boyle has revealed for the first time that she has been diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, a form of autism.
The Scottish mezzo-soprano, who rose to international fame after appearing on Britain's Got Talent in 2009, hit out at previous claims that she had "brain damage", instead saying that
"it's been something else".
Speaking in an interview with the Observer, Ms Boyle said she went to see a specialist in Scotland, who told her that her IQ was above average. She was told she has Asperger's, and said it was "a relief" to finally receive a diagnosis.
"I have always known that I have had an unfair label put upon me," she said, explaining that her condition made her different to her peers as a child. "That made me more determined to be where I want to be," she added.
Asperger's is defined by the National Autistic Society as having "similarities with autism, [though] people with Asperger syndrome have fewer problems with speaking and are often of average, or above average, intelligence". It adds that they "may have specific learning difficulties", but do not usually have the "disabilities associated with autism".
