Susan Boyle 'drained' by pressure

Morgan, who was contacted by Prime Minister Gordon Brown after the singer was admitted to a clinic at the weekend, said: "Nobody has had to put up with the kind of attention Susan has had.

"Nobody could have predicted it. It has been crazy, she has gone from anonymity to being the most downloaded woman in history."

The singer was rushed to the Priory clinic after she started acting strangely following her shock defeat to dance group Diversity on Saturday.

Gordon Brown revealed that he had contacted Piers Morgan and fellow judge Simon Cowell to check that Susan Boyle was OK. He added: "I hope Susan Boyle is OK because she is a really, really nice person and I think she will do well. I spoke to Simon Cowell and to Piers Morgan and wanted to be sure that she was OK."

Morgan said that the length of time Boyle had to wait between her semi-final performance and the final, a week later, had added to the pressure. "It just builds and builds and builds."

He added that Boyle, unlike the other contestants, had been subject to attention from international media and added that "a little bit of negativity crept in." But he insisted that the show's runner up was, "essentially fine".

Reports about Boyle's admission to the clinic claimed that after Saturday's final she shouted backstage "I hate this show" and threw a glass of water at a member of staff who tried to calm her. Production company talkback Thames said she was taking time out on the advice of a doctor.

Morgan denied that the defeat had shattered Boyle's dreams. "Her dream was not to win a talent competition, it was to sing professionally and she will do that." He denied reports that Boyle has already signed recording deals.

But Fred O'Neil, her friend and former voice coach, described her plight as "a tragedy", claiming fame had not brought her happiness. He said: "It's such a tragic situation, a woman who really just loves to sing, an innocent woman really, who is just caught up in this fame game."