'NOBODY WORKS AS HARD AS MADONNA'

AS MADONNA SAYS SHE'S KICKING OFF HER TOUR IN OCTOBER, TWO FORMER BACKING DANCERS DISCUSS HER UNRIVALLED WORK ETHIC

- LISA BLAKE

LONG LIVE THE QUEEN

Her upcoming tour is aptly named Madonna: The Celebration Tour and for the Queen of Pop it’s certainly a time for popping the champagne corks.

The best-selling female artist of all time not only marks her 65th birthday on 16 August, last month she notched up 40 years since the release of her self-titled debut album. These special milestones are all the more incredible as, just seven weeks ago, she was rushed to hospital and placed in intensive care after being found unresponsive, with her family being told to “expect the worst”.

Fortunately, Madonna was discharged from hospital five days later after reportedly being diagnosed with a bacterial infection. With the help of friends and family, she’s now on the road to recovery and has confirmed that her rescheduled tour will “begin in October in Europe”, potentially in London on 14 October.

Last week, the singer told fans on Instagram she’d had time to “reflect” on how much her six children and friends had done for her during her health scare and expressed her gratitude for still being here. She said, “Love from family and friends is the best medicine… Thank you to all my angels who protected me and let me stay to finish doing my work.”

When news of her collapse emerged, Michigan-born Madonna had been readying herself for the start of her world tour. The pop diva had pushed her body to the limit with 12-hour daily rehearsals for the tour, which was originally planned to run for more than six months, leading fans to fear that pressure and a non-stop schedule had taken their toll.