Niamh Shackleton
Madonna has spoken out about her scary hospital dash over the summer.
It was reported in June that the 65-year-old songstress had been rushed to hospital with a serious bacterial infection, and ended up in intensive care as a result.
A statement from her talent manager, Guy Oseary, at the time said: "On Saturday June 24, Madonna developed a serious bacterial infection which lead to a several day stay in the ICU."
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It went on: "Her health is improving, however she is still under medical care. A full recovery is expected.
"At this time we will need to pause all commitments, which includes the tour. We will share more details with you soon as we have them, including a new start date for the tour and for rescheduled shows."
In the days that followed, a person close to Madonna and her family admitted that 'her family was preparing for the worst'.
"Everyone believed that we may lose her and that has been the reality of the situation," the insider added to Mail Online.
Now, Madonna has echoed similar sentiments herself as her tour kicked off last night, October 14.
Speaking to the crowd, the 'Vogue' hitmaker said: "I want to say it was a crazy year for me as well. And I didn’t think I was gonna make it. Neither did my doctors. That’s why I woke up with all of my children sitting around me.
"I forgot five days of my life… or my death, I don’t really know where I was. But the angels were protecting me and my children were there. And my children always save me, every time."
Madonna is mum to six children: Lourdes, 26, Rocco, 23, David, 18, Mercy, 17, and 11-year-old twins Stella and Estere.
She credited her kids for the reason she managed to get through her illness.
"If you want to know my secret, and you want to know how I pulled through and how I survived, I thought, 'I’ve got to be there for my children. I have to survive for them'," she said.
Madonna's opening night for her Celebration Tour has already received rave reviews, with The Telegraph giving it 4/5 stars and hailing the star as having 'never looked more alive'.
A reviewer for The Guardian also gave her opening night 4/5 stars, saying that she 'dazzles with her greatest hits'.
The Sunday Times gave Madonna's first night 4/5 stars as well and described it as 'totally captivating'.