Speaking to the Australian Sunday Herald Sun, Susan said: “When I entered the Britain’s Got Talent competition in Scotland this year, I could never in my wildest of dreams imagined having the biggest-selling album of the year on the other side of the world by Christmas.

“I’d like to say a very sincere thank you to everyone in Australia that’s shown me the most incredible support.

“I’m really hoping I might visit Australia in 2010 to thank everyone in person.”

Susan’s album is still the world’s number one.

Within Australia, it has been certified eight times platinum, with 560,000 sales, and counting. It also broke a record in the ARIA chart by selling more than 100,000 copies for two consecutive weeks.

Susan is clearly enjoying her time in the spotlight, and has been seen playfully throwing snowballs at paparazzi outside her home in Blackburn, West Lothian. She is clearly becoming more relaxed and at ease with fame. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Susan said: “‘It got to the stage where I couldn’t even go outside because the media – American television crews too – surrounded the house.

“I had to draw my blinds, and even after that they started hammering on my door. I was quite frightened. I felt very vulnerable, because I was living on my own.”

Susan told the Mirror that she was hit with a belt by the teachers and taunted by the other children.

She said: “You’re looking at someone who would get the belt every day. ‘Will you Shut up, Susan!’ – whack!”

Susan spoke about her childhood in her first interview since she finished recording her debut album, I Dreamed A Dream.

The album comes out next week and is already the biggest selling pre-ordered album of all time.

Susan was asked if she understood why people felt such a connection with her. She replied: “I don’t know, really. It’s an unusual story.

“I was often left behind at school because of one thing or another. I was a slow learner.

“I’m just I’m a wee bit slower at picking things up than other people. So you get left behind in a system that just wants to rush on, you know?

“That was what I felt was happening to me.

“There was discipline for the sake of discipline back then. But it’s all very different now. I think teachers are taught to understand children with learning disabilities a lot better.”

Because the report was unconfirmed, I felt it best not to mention it on this website.

The same lady contacted me earlier today and said her friend had seen one of the nurses talking to Susan, and she gave me some details of the conversation. I have now found an article in the Sunday Express that confirms my source’s report.

Susan Boyle apparently became ill during a visit to her council house in Blackburn. According to reports, she was suffering from an “upset stomach” and returned home later in the day.

Susan’s neighbour,  Margaret Smith said: “I hope Susan is OK.

“I never knew there was anything wrong but some people were talking about it.

““I saw Susan after I came home. She walked past my window at about 4pm and looked fine.”

Nicola Phillips, Susan’s manager, said: “Susan is fine and we have no further comment. I am not in a position to say what was wrong with her because that is private.”

Some rumours have suggested that Susan  may have been suffering from swine flu. However, I doubt that this is the case – it is just that swine flu is in everyone’s mind at the moment due to the media coverage.

Of course, we all remember that Susan suffered from “exhaustion” and was rushed into the Priory Clinic at the end of the Britain’s Got Talent competition. However, there is no evidence to suggest that Susan’s symptoms were stress related.

Susan is shortly due to start a publicity drive for her debut album, “I Dreamed a Dream”.

A souce told the Mirror: “It makes perfect sense and will create a big buzz. There are two shows to fill on Saturday and Sunday nights now, so they’re also planning guest appearances from previous winners and runners-up as well as celebrity guests.”

However, Amazon.co.uk currently has no such restriction. I was able to add 20 Susan Boyle albums to my basket without a problem (surely 20 is enough for most people?) I checked out the Amazon.co.uk delivery policy, and they will deliver CDs to North America – see North America Delivery Rates for further details.

For other countries worldwide, full details of the Amazon.co.uk international delivery policies can be found here.

Well, my friends, could this be a loophole?

Meanwhile, Ladbrokes are still offering odds of 5/2 that Susan Boyle will be number one at Christmas on both sides of the Atlantic.

Perez Hilton, the celebrity blogger, apparently has an audio copy of Susan singing “Wild Horses” and the track is expected to be shared online – presumably with the blessing of the record company.

Susan’s voice is said to be astonishingly good on the track, which is one of the tracks on her debut album.

Other tracks have been reported to include “You’ll See”, originally made famous by Madonna, and of course “I Dreamed a Dream” -  but the full track listing is not yet available.

Cowell, who was being interviewed by fellow judge Amanda Holden, spoke about Susan, describing her breakdown as “scary”.

He said: “I think at the point where she (Susan) didn’t win, she was afraid everything would be taken away from her and she was going to go back to that little house. She didn’t want to go back to that life.”

He continued: “We’re used to it (the fame). They’re not.”

However, Simon is sure that Susan Boyle’s latest album will be a huge seller. He said: “After all the dust settled, she was happy. She is stunning on record.

“She’s going to sell millions of records this year.”

He also confirmed that Susan will be singing a Rolling Stones song on her album, and revealed that Susan was so happy with the results that she burst into tears when she heard it.

The album is currently still at number one on Amazon.com and has climbed to number 19 on Amazon.co.uk.

This photo, or another taken during the same shoot, will feature on the album cover, according to the Daily Mirror.

Meanwhile, another song rumoured to be on the album is a cover of Madonna’s 1995 track “You’ll See”.

A source told The Sun: “Susan chose it herself – it’s a song she has loved for years.

“She sang it at auditions for TV shows and music contests when she used to be cruelly turned away by people.

“At the end, when she was sometimes reduced to tears, she used to say, ‘You’ll See’.

“And she’s proof she can do it now as one of the most famous women in the world.”

In order to help Susan prepare for life on the road to promote her CD, both she and Pebbles, her cat, received a makeover, with Ms Boyle receiving a private shopping treat at Harrods in London.

According to reports, she purchased six designer dresses before subsequently going  to Suzanne Neville’s nearby boutique. Pebbles, meanwhile, received the full works at a top pet salon.

A source told The Mirror: “Susan was very excited.

“She had never been to Harrods and they treated her like royalty. She was ushered into a private area and given personal shoppers.”

I expect Susan was more appreciative of the pampering than Pebbles.