The singer has suffered from “learning difficulties” her entire life, but was told they were the result of brain damage caused by complications at her birth.
Last year, Susan started seeing a Scottish specialist who eventually diagnosed her with Asperger’s, a form of autism that affects social interaction and communication skills.
“I always knew ‘brain damage’ was an unfair label,” she told the Observer magazine. “Now I have a clearer understanding of what’s wrong and I feel relieved and a bit more relaxed about myself.”
Susan, who was dubbed ‘Simple Susan’ by her schoolmates when she was a child, said she thought the diagnosis would make her life easier.
“People will have a greater understanding of who I am and why I do the things I do,” she said.
“I have communicative difficulties, which leads to a lot of frustration. If people were a bit more patient, it would help.”
Susan shot to worldwide fame in 2009 when her Britain’s Got Talent audition video went viral on YouTube.
She found her sudden fame difficult to manage and went into rehab but is now flourishing after hiring a team of people to help her manage her condition.
“I’m not strong on my own,” she said.
