Kelly Rowland pulls out of X Factor

Kelly Rowland has dropped out of Britain's The X Factor shows this weekend (29-30Oct11) due to illness.

The former Destiny's Child star is a judge on the U.K. version of the TV talent show, but is unable to appear on the upcoming live installments after falling sick during a trip to Los Angeles.

Rowland flew to L.A. this week (beg24Oct11), but began feeling ill on the flight and has now been advised not to travel back to Britain for the sake of her health.

She tells Britain's The Sun, "I'm so sick - I have no idea what is wrong with me, but I have the worst sore throat. I've been in tears all week. It got so bad that I stopped eating and drinking and got so dehydrated the doctor put me on a drip.

"Even now I can't swallow anything - not even my own saliva... I was on the plane and I got this weird scratchy feeling in my throat. As the flight went on it got worse and worse... by the time I landed, I couldn't swallow.

"The doctor said that whatever I had was extremely rare. The infection is really low down in my throat. I've been on a drip, had injections of antibiotics and been drinking water non-stop. I even had a cortisone (steroid) shot."

Rowland's doctor, Shawn S. Nasseri of Beverly Hills, California, adds, "It's extremely rare and I only see 10 or so cases a year. She has had intravenous antibiotics and we've done scans. Hopefully she'll be better in two or three days, but she needs to rest up."

The X Factor bosses have reportedly asked Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger, a judge on the U.S. version of the program, to take Rowland's place until she is better.

Scherzinger was already due to appear on the show on Sunday (30Oct11) to perform her latest single.