X Factor Judge Looks Set To Miss Tonight’s Show After Falling Ill With ‘Highly Contagious’ Condition

Cheryl Fernandez-Versini could be set to miss tonight's double elimination X Factor show after contracting a "highly contagious" throat condition. The Girls Aloud star only has one contestant left in the competition, 17-year-old Lauren Platt, but took to Twitter earlier this week to reveal that she had fallen ill and was dubious about whether she would be better in time for Saturday night.

Sorry for my absence on here the past few days. I have been so sick trying to be better for sat — Cheryl (@CherylOfficial) November 20, 2014

However, the Daily Mail is now reporting that the singer's condition has worsened in the last 24 hours and she is battling strep throat, a bacterial infection that attacks the tonsils and larynx. The news doesn't seem to have had a detrimental effect on Lauren's chances in the competition though, with bookmakers making her favourite to claim the X Factor crown ahead of Italian diva Andrea Faustini.