14m tune in to watch Susan

ALMOST 14 million viewers tuned in to watch Susan Boyle make it through to the final of Britain’s Got Talent – the highest ratings for this series so far.

Susan Boyle got the highest ratings of the series Susan Boyle got the highest ratings of the series

The singer, who struggled through with a bad cold to sing Memory from the musical Cats in Sunday’s semi-final, was so jubilant after her ­performance that she ran backstage to plant a kiss on judge Piers Morgan.

The Scottish spinster – who lives alone with her cat Pebbles, and famously claimed she had never been kissed – tracked down Morgan, kissed him, then ran away, laughing: “I’ve been kissed now, haven’t I?”

Morgan admitted yesterday: “It was very exciting.

“I felt very proud to be the man who did it, as I thought she looked ­absolutely beautiful on Sunday.”

Susan, who made it through to ­Saturday’s live final with street dance group Diversity, admitted that her performance was not her best.

MASSIVE HIT Almost 14million viewers tuned in to watch her semi final MASSIVE HIT: Almost 14million viewers tuned in to watch her semi-final

“It was a pretty rocky start to begin with because I sort of hit a croaky note,” said Susan, who has become one of the internet’s biggest superstars after more than 100 million watched her first Britain’s Got Talent performance on YouTube.

“That’s because I had a cold, but I said to myself, ‘I guess you’d better just pick yourself up and keep going’, so all I did was keep going after that and it got better.”

Wearing a sunny yellow blouse, the shy church-goer from Blackburn, West Lothian, said she was pleased with the way her voice warmed up during the nerve-racking performance but hoped to do better in the final.

“I’m really looking forward to the final and to giving an improved act.

“I really want to fulfil this dream and see it through to the end. I’m ­feeling really good. The audience ­reaction was really stunning and it feels really good to have fans all around the world. It’s overwhelming. It’s very hard to put into words.”

Susan, 48, was also fighting back nerves when she stepped out to sing because of an earlier slip-up, literally.

Despite cracking jokes straight after her performance, she was being extra careful to watch her step after falling over during rehearsals.

“I got a bit of shock during rehearsals – I nearly fell flat on my face,” she revealed.

To keep accidents at bay, the soles of Susan’s shoes were scored so they gripped better on the night. Susan, dubbed the Hairy Angel because of her bushy hair, has turned down offers of a big make-over.

But she said she enjoyed her time backstage with the make-up team.

“Every few minutes, someone came up to me and asked me to go back to make-up,” she said, before stepping out to sing.

“And she joked: “It’s a job that’s never f­inished – like painting the Forth Bridge.”

But yesterday it seemed her popularity was proving too much for other contestants.

amily group, Good Evans, through to Friday’s semi-final, said they didn’t stand a chance against Susan.

“It’s impossible for her to lose now,” said Estelle Evans, 38.

Last night millions tuned in to watch classical Welsh singer Jamie Pugh, 38, wow the judges.

He faced stiff competition from singing schoolboy Shaun Smith, 17, and youth dance troupe Flawless.

And giving a lot of laughs were novelty acts DJ Talent and Mama Trish, the competition’s only drag act.

Eight more semi-finalists will battle it out tonight, Thursday and Friday to win a place in the final.

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