Madonna has revealed that her health scare earlier this year left her close to death.
The 65-year-old was admitted to intensive care in June after being found unresponsive in her New York apartment, just weeks before she was due to start her Celebration world tour.
The Queen of Pop recovered and was back in rehearsals in August before starting the tour last month, but until now little was known about the nature of her illness.
Speaking on stage in Paris, she explained: "I was in the hospital. I was in the ICU. My lungs weren't working, I wasn't breathing on my own.
"My kidneys were failing. I was infected with some bacteria that nobody knows about. And there is a 40% mortality rate.
"When I woke up I saw all my children around me and I thought this is what will save me. My children will save me. It's not me who saved them."
She added: "You know, I think of myself as Wonder Woman. I think I can overcome anything, anything, but this time I couldn't bring the will.
"I didn't have the strength. I had no energy, it was taken from me.
"So the two weeks went by and I still had barely any energy. I could drink espressos, four Red Bulls. Nothing woke me up. I had no life force."
The Celebration Tour is due to continue through Europe and North America until April 2024.
Neil Wilkes
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