'I Didn't Think I'd Make It': Madonna Speaks Candidly About Health Scare As She Kicks Off Tour

Madonna has revealed she “didn’t think I would make it” after being hospitalised with a serious bacterial infection in the summer.

The Queen of Pop opened up about her recent health scare as she finally kicked off her much-anticipated Celebration Tour in London on Saturday.

Madonna was hospitalised in June after being found unresponsive due to the infection, with her her longtime manager Guy Oseary later confirming she was out of intensive care and expected to make a full recovery.

During a moment on stage during her tour’s opening night at London’s O2 Arena, Madonna opened up about her gratitude to be there.

“I didn’t think I would make it, and neither did my doctors. That’s why I woke up with all of my children sitting around me,” she shared during the show (per NME). 

The pop icon continued: “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.

“If you want to know how I pulled through and how I survived, I thought, I have got to be there for my children. I have to survive for them.”

Madonna performed a host of hits during night one of her huge Celebration tour, including classics Into The Groove, Open Your Heart, Like A Prayer and Vogue.

There was also a medley of Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive along with hits La Isla Bonita and Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.

The star was hit by technical issues for 10 minutes after performing Burning Up. “This is exactly what you don’t want to happen on your opening night,” she told the crowd.

The tour marks the first time Madonna has performed on stage without a band. She’s due to perform two more nights at the O2 this week before heading to mainland Europe. The star will then return back to London for extra shows in December. 

Madonna previously postponed the North American leg that was due to kick off the jaunt after she was hospitalised, but will begin playing the rescheduled shows in December.