Cheryl Cole has been transferred to a specialist hospital to be treated for malaria.
The ‘Fight for This Love’ singer – who was recently struck down with the tropical disease after apparently being bitten by a mosquito while holidaying in Tanzania with close pal Derek Hough – has reportedly been admitted to the Hospital for Tropical Diseases at University College London so medical experts can deal with the illness before it gets too serious.
A source close to the star told the Daily Mirror newspaper: “She really is very poorly indeed and doctors weren’t taking any chances. Intensive care was their best option when they saw what condition she was in. She is now in the best place for her with the best experts in the field to look after her.
“Cheryl is in a real battle but she is nothing but a fighter.”
The 27-year-old pop beauty is believed to have spent three days in intensive care at London’s private Cromwell Hospital after being diagnosed with the illness on Sunday.
She was then transferred to the specialist unit and the disease is said to have “really taken a hold” on the Girls Aloud star.
A spokesman for Cheryl confirmed: “It is a lot more serious than first thought. Everyone thought she would pull through after 24 hours but there have been no signs of improvement. She is very ill and will not be out of hospital for a while. Everyone is holding their breath.
“Because of her hectic schedule, the malaria has really taken a hold. She has not got the physical strength to beat it.”
Cheryl has been forced to pull out of her role as a judge on Simon Cowell’s pop star search show ‘The X Factor’ until further notice.
This weekend Simon and fellow judge Louis Walsh will be joined by Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger for the Manchester auditions.
