Cheryl Cole in hospital after contracting malaria

The pop star and X Factor judge Cheryl Cole is in hospital with malaria after being bitten by an infected mosquito while on holiday in Tanzania. The potentially deadly disease was diagnosed after she collapsed during a photoshoot on Saturday.

She was initially thought to be suffering from exhaustion, before her condition worsened. "During Sunday afternoon, Cheryl went downhill quickly," the Daily Mail reported a friend of the singer's saying. "She was sweating and shaking and in a bad way."

A spokesman for the 27-year-old said she was cancelling all work commitments for this week. But medical experts say the recovery time could be considerably longer, raising questions over Cole's involvement in the current X Factor auditions and the release of her new solo album - the follow-up to her hit album 3 Words - scheduled for next weekend. She is also due to play at next month's V Festival.

Cole was holidaying in Tanzania with the American dancer Derek Hough, 25, with whom she has been linked romantically since splitting with her husband, footballer Ashley Cole, earlier this year.

It only takes one bite from an infected mosquito to contract malaria. If not treated promptly, the disease can disrupt the blood supply to vital organs. An average of nine British people die from malaria every year. ·