Cheryl Cole 'diagnosed with malaria'

Cheryl Cole has reportedly been diagnosed with malaria.

The 27-year-old recently announced that she would take a one-week break due to exhaustion after collapsing during a photoshoot with what was thought to be gastroenteritis.

According to The Sun, Cole caught the disease during a trip to Africa three weeks ago that she took with Derek Hough but was not diagnosed until late Sunday after drifting in and out of consciousness.

"She told doctors she'd had stomach pains since her return from Tanzania," a source said.

"On Sunday evening her condition deteriorated so rapidly she knew it was something serious. She'd spent 48 hours in bed trying to sleep off what she thought was a stomach bug. She was extremely weak, sweating and drifting in and out of consciousness. She was driven to hospital where tests showed malaria."

The insider added: "Everyone is really concerned. She is very ill."