Cheryl Cole feared malaria death

Cheryl Cole had to pull out of X Factor filming as she recovered from malaria

Cheryl Cole has said she thought she was going to die of malaria.

She's given her first interview since recovering, and broke down in tears as she spoke about her recovery from the illness.

Cole ended up in intensive care this summer after catching the disease on a trip to Tanzania.

She told Piers Morgan's Life Stories: "It was touch and go for 24 hours. It was serious."

She added: "I actually thought I was going to die. All I thought was that if I was going to die, please let it be soon."

Heartbroken

The X Factor judge also told how her split from Ashley Cole had left her heartbroken.

The couple were officially divorced last month.

She admitted she still doesn't know why their relationship went wrong.

She said: "Looking back on it, I feel numb. We had a great marriage and a fantastic wedding day but I don't know where it went wrong.

"To this day I still question that."

The Life Stories show will be on ITV1 on 23 October.