Madonna's devastated family were left 'preparing for the worst' when the superstar was rushed to intensive care on Saturday after contracting a 'serious bacterial infection'.
The 64-year-old icon is said to have been found 'unresponsive' on Saturday night before being admitted to hospital, where her family reportedly feared they could lose her.
According to reports, her loved ones spent days by her bedside, unsure if she was going to pull through. It is believed that eldest child Lourdes, 26, was a constant presence throughout her stay in the intensive care unit.
Though it is not known whether other children Rocco, 22; David, 17; Mercy, 17; and 10-year-old twins Stella and Estere visited their mother.
A source told the Daily Mail: "For the past couple of days, no one really knew which direction this was going to turn, and her family was preparing for the worst. That is why it was kept a secret since Saturday."
Madonna is due to embark on a mega six-month-long tour starting from next month, however the likelihood of it going ahead now hangs in the balance.
And while Madonna might be on the mend, sources say her family remains deeply worried.
A relative told the Daily Mail that while the collapse 'woke her the f*** up', all talk of the tour has been banned from her hospital bedside because they fear, "She will put her career and her fame before her health until the day she is dead."
"She has not been living as healthy a life as she should be for her age, and she has been wearing herself thin over the past couple of months," the unnamed family member said.
"She thinks that she is still young when, in fact, she is not. She also believes that she is invincible."
And as sources claim Madonna's 'perfectionism' on tour was proving to be challenging, body language expert Judi James told the Mirror the star appeared to be suffering from "tiredness or exhaustion" in the photos taken before her hospitalisation.
"Madonna's surface look is always going to be timeless and impeccable but there are some subtle body language clues in these photos that could hint at something like tiredness or exhaustion," Judi said.
"Her hands in the photo where she sits in front of a piano probably create the most telling image. She looks more vulnerable here.
"The left hand is splayed into a claw gesture on her knee and the knuckles look bent at an exaggerated angle, especially the thumb. The other hand clutches a drink and her elbows look pushed into her waist in a self-protective gesture rather than splayed out in a sign of her signature confidence," she continued.
"Her eye expression suggests tiredness here with the lids slightly drooped and her shoulders look slumped. In the back view photos on stage we can see her right hand has been lifted to touch her head as she listens, which can sometimes suggest mild distress or discomfort."
"In the pic on the floor she seems to be resting heavily on one hand. Her mouth has dropped open in two of the other photos, which again can be caused by tiredness," Judi added.
"Having said that though her schedule must have been gruelling if she was rehearsing shows and she still looks wildly busy and energetic for a woman half her age."
Her manager Guy Oseary announced the devastating news of her illness on Wednesday with a post on Instagram.
Guy's statement read: "On Saturday, June 24, Madonna developed a serious bacterial infection which lead to a several-day stay in the ICU.
"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."
He concluded: "We will share more details with you as soon as we have them, including a new start date for the tour and for rescheduled shows."
Madonna's upcoming tour – which was announced earlier this year – had been due to launch in Canada on July 15 and was scheduled to run for six months until January next year.
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