Cheryl: Malaria was so scary

Cheryl Cole has spoken for the first time about her illness saying: “It was terrible. So scary. And all from one little bite.”

The X Factor judge opened up to Britain’s Got Talent judge Piers Morgan.

Cheryl was snapped last week with dancer Derek Hough in LA last week, dressed up for the first time since falling ill. And Piers has revealed it was to join him, Sharon Osborne and Amanda Holden for a meal to celebrate his wedding to Celia Walden.

Piers said the singer chain-smoked and drank cocktails, telling him “Malaria might kill me but an Apple Martini definitely won’t”.

He told how he exclaimed ‘you’re alive’ on greeting the Girls Aloud star.

He said: “She looked fabulous, considering what she’s been through. Wearing a shimmering dark blue dress, very high heels and longer than usual flowing auburn hair. And by her side was her new man the American dancer Derek Hough.”

Piers said he tried to feed up the stick-thin singer with caviar but she refused, instead smoking menthol cigarettes in the corner of the terrace of the Beverly Wilshire where he has lived for two years.

Piers described Derek as ‘intelligent, charming and very, very protective of Cheryl’.

He said “Cheryl’s eyes said it all. They were sad and lonely last time I saw her in June. Now they’re sparkling again.”

Piers told Cheryl: “Not been your year for bad experiences with nasty little things, has it?”

He said: “She laughed. Then rewarded me with a scolding slap on the arm.”