London, July 6 (IANS) Singer Cheryl Cole recently collapsed at a photo shoot due to severe exhaustion.

The doctors advised her to take minimum seven days of rest from her gruelling schedule.

Cole was diagnosed with severe exhaustion. She was also suffering from a gastroenteritis bug, thesun.co.uk reported.

"She should never have gone to the studio. She insisted she was fine, even though she clearly wasn't. Her skin was pale and her lips had no colour. She's run down and tired. That's why she ended up with the stomach virus," said a source.

"It was a real shock to see her looking so ill. She looks terrible. The pop star is said to have dedicated herself to her career in the wake of her split from Ashley.

"Since splitting from Ashley, Cheryl has been throwing herself into work. She has been completely dedicated to 'X Factor'and her album, recording sessions and touring - to an extent that it has started to affect her health.