Mariah Carey has been hospitalised with a severe case of the flu, according to reports. The multi-platinum selling singer was taken to hospital in New York City on Wednesday (December 2nd) after falling ill the previous day.

Carey, 45, had attended the Pier 1 Christmas Pop Up Storybook launch in SoHo on Tuesday night, where she was fighting the illness she had contracted the same day but was “the ultimate professional” in getting on with her duty. However, the next morning, things had gotten worse and TMZ reported that she had become so dehydrated that her team called for an ambulance.

Mariah CareyMariah Carey at the Macy's Day Thanksgiving Parade 2015

“She had fallen ill earlier in the day, but participated in the event last night as much as she could,” a representative of the event told People.

However, a spokesperson for Carey said that the star was now recovering well, and “fighting it to the best of her abilities. She is doing well now and will be performing as scheduled this weekend [her upcoming Beacon Theatre shows]. She thanks her lambs for the continued support and well wishes.” She’s expected to be discharged from hospital later on Thursday.

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At the Pop Up Storybook launch itself, Mariah had put on a brave face and was speaking about how much she was looking forward to holiday season.

“I love a white Christmas. I love a snowy Christmas, so Aspen is my go-to. I'm going this year,” Carey said. “It's a tradition. I've been going there a long time.”

Carey divorced Nick Cannon, the father of her twins Moroccan and Monroe, in December last year, after six years of marriage. Since then, she’s rumoured to be dating Australian billionaire James Packer, to which Cannon recently expressed his approval. “As long as she’s happy and my children are happy, I’m happy,” he told radio host Howard Stern earlier this week.

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