Susan Boyle has confirmed the reason for her long absence from the spotlight

British singing sensation Susan Boyle has revealed she suffered a minor stroke last year which put her future performances in doubt.

According to reports in the Daily Mirror, the 62-year-old, who found international fame after competing on Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, returned to the hit show this year for a performance alongside the cast of Les Misérables.

Fittingly, Boyle gave a rendition of I Dreamed A Dream – the same song she first auditioned with all those years ago – and received a standing ovation from the audience in the Eventim Apollo.

Yet it was after her on-stage exploits that she spoke candidly on something that has drawn plenty of attention today.

Speaking with show hosts Ant and Dec, Boyle gave a reason for her relatively sudden disappearance from the showbiz circuit, explaining that she’s been contending with a rather serious health issue.

Following her performance, one of the interviewers said:

“It’s hard to believe that you appeared on this show in 2009, 14 years ago.

“How does it feel to be back at BGT?”

To which Boyle responded: “It feels great. It’s really good.

“It’s extra special for me actually, last April there, I suffered a minor stroke and I thought it’d be crazy to be back on stage and I have done it.”

Judge Simon Cowell praised Susan thereafter, confessing that he had known about her health struggles.

Fans, of course, didn’t. The 62-year-old singer is notoriously private when not performing, and her reason for dropping off the grid last year had remained a mystery until her revelation at the weekend.

According to reports, despite her fame, Susan still lives in her childhood home in Blackburn, Scotland, which she purchased in 2010.

”It’s best to be grounded and with your roots. It keeps you grounded and prevents you from saying things maybe you shouldn’t say,” she told OK!.

Watch Susan’s BGT comeback in the video below: