Cheryl Cole/Gary Barlow Children In Need duet in doubt

Gary Barlow and Cheryl Cole climbed Mount Kilimanjaro for charity in 2009

Gary Barlow says a planned duet with Cheryl Cole for Children In Need is in doubt because she is ill.

The Take That star had been planning to appear with the Girls Aloud singer at the Children In Need Rocks event in Manchester on Thursday.

It is understood that organisers have been told Cheryl Cole is having problems with her throat.

It would be her first performance for months in the UK. She was dropped as a judge on The X Factor USA in May.

Gary Barlow says it is still not clear whether his planned duet with the 28-year-old will go ahead because the Girls Aloud singer is feeling unwell.

He joked that he was thinking of alternative plans for the event, which he has helped put together.

Performing

Speaking at rehearsals in London, he said: "She's ill. We're waiting to hear.

"It's meant to be a surprise but that's the plan - if not, I don't know what we're going to do.

"I might just have to get on the piano and do a bit of Roll Out The Barrel."

The X Factor judge said he was looking forward to performing again, rather than observing and mentoring as he does on the ITV show.

"I'm looking forward to it, I really am," he admitted.

"I'm always trying to remind myself that's actually what I do and I don't just sit behind a desk talking. So it's important to me to get back out there."

Barlow admitted it was hard work organising the charity event, and said he had made sure everything was in hand before the X Factor live shows began in August.

He brought together Chipmunk, Ed Sheeran, Miss Dynamite, Rizzle Kicks, Tulisa Contostavlos and Labrinth for this year's BBC Children In Need single, Teardrop.

"The message is to look after each other," he said.

"With the line-up of MCs we've got, these are what young people listen to and so it's really important to have people that actually matter to young people speaking through their music."