Shortly after returning from a romantic holiday in Tanzania with rumored beau Derek Hough, Cheryl Cole collapsed at a photoshoot and has been diagnosed with malaria, the UK’s Mirror reports.
The X-Factor judge and Girls Aloud lead singer had not been feeling well for days, leading up to her collapse on Saturday. According to a source, “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.” Cheryl’s symptoms included nausea and an extremely high fever.
Cole had reportedly been regularly taking malaria tablets while on holiday in Africa, and continued to take them even after she returned, however she has still tested positive for the disease, a source confirms.
Derek Hough has been at Cheryl’s bedside since she was taken to hospital, and is said to be reeling with guilt after learning that she contracted the illness on the mini-break he had planned. An insider claims, “He’s mortified by what’s happened and is utterly devastated at what she’s going through – not least because it happened on a trip he’d planned.”However, those closest to Cheryl insist that she truly enjoyed her holiday with Derek and has many wonderful memories of their trip.
One thing Cheryl is definitely not: exhausted. Insiders are adamant that Cheryl is a “tough cookie” who is “used to hard work,” adding, “All this stuff about Cheryl burning the candle at both ends and working too hard is just absolute nonsense. Cheryl always operates at a million miles an hour, in fact she thrives on it.”
Fellow X Factor judge, Simon Cowell has told Cheryl, “I don’t want to see you back [to work] until you are well enough. Just rest and concentrate on getting better.” Cheryl will no doubt miss this week’s auditions and her team is scrambling to reschedule a host of other planned engagements.
Malaria is one of the world’s leading causes of disease and death, with between 300 and 500 million new cases reported every year.
