Susan Boyle sings for mother

Jan 20, 2010, 10:15 GMT

Susan Boyle believes her late mother is watching over her.

The 'Wild Horses' singer - who became a worldwide sensation when she performed 'Les Miserables' song 'I Dreamed A Dream' on UK TV show 'Britain's Got Talent' - feels she owes her phenomenal success to her beloved mother Bridget as she always encouraged and supported her.

The 48-year-old star said: "She's right here in this room. She would have been really proud. I do feel there is a lingering presence - and that person is my mother."

Susan - whose debut album 'I Dreamed a Dream' was a smash hit on both sides of the Atlantic - admits she was "let loose" on the world when she auditioned for the show last year and can't believe how much her life has changed.

Appearing on Oprah Winfrey's US TV talk show, Susan - who is from the Scottish town Blackburn, in West Lothian - added: "That's when I was let loose. Before the audition my life was kind of mundane routine like everyone else's. After the audition, people started recognising me in the street and I was being seen as a professional singer.

"It's astounding and it's very humbling. A lot of people take the time and trouble to spend their money on an album by an unknown artist, they don't know what they're going to get for the money."