Boyle simply exhausted, says Holden

The 48-year-old, from Blackburn, west Lothian, has been recovering at the Priory clinic in north London after suffering what her brother described as an "anxiety attack" in the wake of her surprise defeat in the Britain's Got Talent final.

Police were called to Boyle's hotel after she began acting strangely, and she was taken to the Priory on Sunday after being assessed under the Mental Health Act.

In the space of eight weeks Boyle has gone from the quiet life of a church volunteer in a small town in Scotland to global fame, and Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond said the show should "probably" take better care of its contestants.

He told BBC Radio Scotland's Morning Extra Boyle's performance in Saturday's final after weeks of intense media scrutiny was a "triumph".

"I'm just wondering, could anybody really stand up to that sort of pressure, particularly when you're not used to it, and not have a few difficulties with it?" he said.

"Does that mean we shouldn't have shows like that? No, I think that show, Britain's Got Talent, gives people an opportunity and a chance and I doubt you would find a contestant who said 'No, I didn't want to have a go and take my chance'. Should they take care of their contestants a bit better? Yes, they probably should."

Holden, one of the Britain's Got Talent judges, said she did not know how long Boyle would spend at the Priory, but said doctors had assured show staff the singer was mentally sound.

She told GMTV: "I understand that we've spoken to her doctors and they really have reassured us that there are no underlying mental issues and it purely is just that she's knackered, for want of a better word.

"And I think as we all keep saying, to have been thrust into such a media circus for seven weeks - it's hard enough for me, Piers and Simon to deal with, let alone somebody that's had absolutely no experience."