Cheryl Cole has been hospitalised after contracting malaria.
The Girls Aloud singer collapsed at a photoshoot on Saturday, and was diagnosed with a stomach upset and severe exhaustion. Her management team said she would be taking indefinite leave from UK talent programme The X Factor, which she judges, to recover.
However, Cheryl`s condition deteriorated and she was taken to London`s private Cromwell hospital on Sunday. Tests showed she is suffering from malaria, which she is thought to have caught while holidaying in Tanzania with her friend Derek Hough last month.
"She just got worse and worse after Saturday and was taken in by her worried management team as it became clear she wasn`t getting any better," a source told British newspaper The Daily Mirror. "She really is quite poorly but at least the results came back quickly so the doctors can focus on giving her the right treatment.
"She had been taking malaria tablets regularly while on holiday and continued to take them even after she returned, but she still tested positive for it."
Derek is said to be devastated about the news, especially as it was his idea for the pair to visit the African country.
Malaria is spread by mosquitoes, and symptoms include a high temperature and nausea - both of which Cheryl was suffering from at the photoshoot. It has been claimed she had experienced stomach cramps for days, but thought it was just flu. She realised she may have something more serious when she began sweating and shaking over the weekend. Although Cheryl took a full course of anti-malaria tablets before her holiday, it is thought she contracted a strain of the disease which is resistant to them.
Cheryl will stay in hospital for at least three nights, and will then need time to recuperate further. Simon Cowell, who sits with her on The X Factor judging panel, has told the 27-year-old not to worry about her work commitments and to concentrate on getting better.
"It`s such a shame as she had such a lovely holiday with Derek and has such lovely memories of it," another source told the publication. "He is worried sick about her. He`s sticking close by her bedside and trying to keep her cheerful. He`s probably the best tonic she`s got right now."
If not diagnosed quickly, malaria can be fatal as it upsets blood flow to the vital organs. Between 300 to 500 million cases are reported annually.
sections: Celebrities |