Pizzas galore!

She signed up for singing lessons with a local voice coach, Fred O’Neil, to hone her natural talent. In 2000 she sang Cry Me a River for a charity CD to commemorate the Millennium. It is her only previous recording.

Boyle is aware that some of the cynicism that greeted her arrival on stage at the Britain’s Got Talent audition stemmed from her frumpy appearance. She wore a gold lace dress that she’d bought for her nephew’s wedding but left her unruly hair uncombed and her face free of make-up. “I know what they were thinking but why should it matter as long as I can sing? It’s not a beauty contest,” she says.

At the superficial end of the entertainment industry, however, appearance is paramount. Is she afraid she might come under pressure to have a makeover?

“Maybe I’ll consider a makeover later on,” she laughs. “For now I’m happy the way I am — short and plump. I would not go in for Botox or anything like that. I’m content with the way I look. What’s wrong with looking like Susan Boyle? What’s the matter with that?”

Boyle is equally happy with where she lives. City life doesn’t interest her and she doesn’t enjoy travelling.

Given her popularity in the US, could she be tempted by a move to New York or Los Angeles? “Oh no, I am going to stay in Blackburn, West Lothian. This is where I belong. My family is here and they are a great support to me. They are right behind me but they also keep my feet firmly on the ground.”

It is hard to imagine Boyle getting carried away by her success. She can’t really grasp the enormity of her internet fame as she doesn’t have a computer or mobile phone. A friend showed her the YouTube video that has gone global but Boyle is unable to comprehend why 26m people would watch it. She hasn’t had a chance to look at the fan sites that have sprung up in her name.

Much of the coverage in the international press has passed her by, including an article in the San Francisco Chronicle that begins: “Unless you live under a rock you know about the Scottish woman who has taken the industrialised world by storm.”

She will be glad too not to have seen the headline in an Australian newspaper that read: “UK Talent Show Stunned by Scottish Virgin”.

There is speculation that she could be signed up by a Hollywood talent agent. “I’ve been very taken aback especially by all the American people who have been kind enough to say nice things about me,” Boyle says. “I didn’t expect that. People have been very kind.”

Last week as interest in Boyle reached fever pitch, Talkback Thames, the production company that makes Britain’s Got Talent, dispatched a researcher to her home to ensure that she was coping.

The company provides all contestants with the telephone number of a researcher they can contact if they need advice, but the attention Boyle is attracting is unprecedented.

The object of all the attention, however, remains cheerful even though it’s 4pm and she still hasn’t had lunch. She fits in a couple of short telephone interviews, deftly deflecting personal questions with her trademark chuckle and a brisk: “Can we move on now please? I haven’t got much time.”

Boyle has a lot to learn about being a diva. “I’ve got a lot to learn about a lot of things,” she agrees. “This is all very new to me. I went to bed one night just me and woke up in the morning to a group of about 30 children outside chanting my name. Then I came home from my brother’s and it was like the paparazzi were all in the street.”

A quick glance through the sec-urity peep hole of her front door confirms that a group of photographers are camped on the pavement. “Yes, they’re still there. I’ll go and see them in a bit.”

For the moment, Boyle is forbidden from talking about her future in Britain’s Got Talent. She can’t say whether or not her appearance last week might lead to a record deal, if she has plans to make a CD or even when she’s next going to appear on television. “No comment,” she says, laughing. “You’ll just have to watch the show.”

However, given her popularity, it seems impossible that Boyle won’t go on to make money from her singing career. What will she spend it on? “My family,” she says.

Boyle is now the favourite to win the show with odds of 5/2 but she’s not taking anything for granted. “It’s early days. I’m taking baby steps at the moment. I’m just an ordinary person trying to make it as a professional singer. I really don’t want to change all that much.”

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