Susan Boyle's Second Interview With Oprah Winfrey, October 2010.

I was so relieved to see how much more comfortable Susan and Oprah were with each other, in this second interview, but I do wish someone somewhere would find Susan a suitable chair to sit on!

This was an interview with a purpose.

In her recent autobiography, Susan Boyle revealed that she had been bullied mercilessly as a child, and it was around this topic that the interview was based.  Oprah asked Susan to describe what had happened to her.

No-one could fail to be moved by Susan's recollections of bring bullied as a child.  

Despite having her clothes burnt by cigarettes, Susan revealed that it was the persistent name-calling that caused her permanent scars.  She felt as if she was a target; that she didn't matter.  That is a soul destroying experience for anyone, much less a child.

Her experiences made Susan feel as if nobody loved her, and that gave the bullies power.

Susan told Oprah,  "In my case it was a small group of teenage girls that put me to that place. They're the worst kind. It can really hold you back and damage you. Mental bullying is the worst kind of bullying."

It would have been difficult for an outsider to detect what kind of childhood Susan had experienced.  She looked every part the princess she claimed to feel now.

Bullying comes in many different forms.  No-one should hesitate to seek help, especially from those best-placed to do something about it. But if they refuse, what then?

What can we do if we are being bullied and those in a position to help, refuse?

Keep seeking help in whatever way you can, wherever you can and do not become intimidated.

Each time you fail to demand help, another bully wins. 

Susan Boyle's Interview With Piers Morgan - Taking the Path of Truth

I sat and watched the Piers Morgan's interview with Susan Boyle this evening and was impressed by Susan's refreshing honesty above all else.  Susan confided openly, for the first time, an introspective view of her enforced stay at The Priory.  She felt she had lost everyone.  She felt 'dumped'.  It took her a year to get over that experience.  How easy it was to imagine that she quickly put it behind her in the light of the phenomenal success of her career.

Susan spoke about the childhood experiences that shaped her life.  The psychological damage Susan suffered at the hands of the bullies who haunted her childhood has left scars.  It seems in many ways her childhood was an uphill battle.  She resented bitterly that she had been labelled as 'less than whole'; that she would 'never amount to anything' and made it quite clear that she has spent her life proving doctors and other people wrong.

That is a very natural response when one has been labeled as something one is not.  I applaud her for her courage and for her tenacity.  Through sheer determination she persisted because she knew they were wrong. 

I can relate to that.....

Susan Boyle has struggled all her life for the truth she knew existed to be recognised.  Her path was hard and it took courage for her to remain fixed on her goal whilst all around her used their best powers of persuasion to stifle her.

The recognition that she is 'a worthwhile person' is a truth that she fought hard for, and ultimately won.  It was confidence in her God-given talent that ensured she never fell from her chosen path.  That reminds me of a quotation I read somewhere,

"Hiding in the shadows of falsehood, makes it impossible to move forward."  How true that is and well it can be applied to life generally.