Cheryl admits she returned to X Factor too soon after malaria battle

Cheryl says she rushed into going back to work after getting malaria.

The singer battled the disease in 2010 after visiting Tanzania and at one point she was close to death.

The Brit returned to her job as a judge on the X Factor after a number of weeks out, but she told the Sunday People that it was in hindsight too soon.

Cheryl said: "It will never happen again. I’m more conscious of the pressures now. I feel like a woman, I’ve grown up. I am not in my 20s, thank God.

"I was burnt out and I wasn’t taking notice. I should have listened to the signals just to slow down. But I got sick [with malaria] and instead of taking the time off, I was like ‘No, No,’ I am going back to work. Within six to eight weeks, I was back on the X Factor and I didn’t even have the right blood back."

Cheryl meanwhile has returned to the UK X Factor as a judge once again this year.

Watch Cheryl talk about her malaria battle below: