Elaine Page on Susan: 'I couldn't believe my ears'

West End star Elaine Paige has said the first time she heard Britain's Got Talent's Susan Boyle sing she was amazed and knew she had to meet her.

She told Yours magazine: "I clicked on to YouTube and I couldn't believe my ears.

"To be honest, I found it rather emotional, a rags to riches kind of story, a bit like Evita herself."

Elaine said she wanted to meet Susan to reassure her and pass on some tips, and the pair eventually met on a US breakfast show.

Elaine said: "When I walked into the studio, all she could say, over and over, was, 'Oh my God!'.

"I sat down beside her and we started chatting, the TV cameras rolling as we talked. I gave her what advice I could and then, out of the blue, she asked me whether I had trouble sleeping at night. I wasn't surprised. It's a question only someone who has been in that situation would dream of asking."

Elaine explained that she believed her experience of being thrown into the limelight could help the reality TV star get to grips with her own success.

She said: "This girl was clearly terrified. She'd had an awful, awful shock. I needed to explain that, before she knew where she was, she'd think her head was going to explode.

"And it was worse for her. I'd been to stage school. I hadn't been very confident when Evita changed my world but I was a professional."