Elaine Paige: 'Susan Boyle is like a virus'

Elaine Paige has hit out at Susan Boyle's recent success, claiming that her quick rise to fame is like a "virus".

The musical theatre star, whom Boyle previously described as her idol, admitted that she feels no "pride" for the 48-year-old and blasted reality shows for creating overnight celebrities.

"I don't particularly feel any pride for her - I'm sure she is proud of what she has done. It's all about turning someone into an immediate celebrity at the expense of longevity and working hard and experience," she told the Daily Mail.

Paige said that Boyle's success would not have happened without YouTube and insisted that she may not enjoy a long career in the industry.

"Susan Boyle is doing terribly well considering she literally came to the attention of the world with the advent of YouTube. She was like a virus really that spread across the world in a nanosecond. She is a girl with no experience of anything to do with theatrics, the music business, or art in any way.

"Longevity is gained through knowledge, experience and effort so it will remain to be seen [if she will last]. When I started [my career] YouTube didn't exist but even then with 15 years of experience prior to my success [starring in the musical] Evita it was difficult, so I admire the way she has handled her sudden success.

"Britain's Got Talent and The X Factor just take a bunch of people from real life who think they can sing and try and turn them into overnight stars with a couple of songs. It's not entertainment."

The Scot's Britain's Got Talent audition has been viewed over 120 million times on YouTube. Her debut album I Dreamed A Dream has topped the charts in over eight countries around the world, shifting more than eight million copies since its release in November 2009.

Paige and Boyle duetted together on the ITV1 special I Dreamed A Dream: The Susan Boyle Story in December.