Since shooting to fame on talent show the X Factor, Leona Lewis has been one of the music industry's hottest properties. Now it seems she's set to be a hit Stateside, too, with experts predicting her debut single Bleeding Love will soar to the top spot of the famously hard-to-crack US charts this week.
If Leona does score this week's US number one, she'll be the first British woman to do so since rocker Kim Wilde 20 years ago.
However, her constant struggle with tonsillitis is beginning to worry her and the singing sensation reportedly now thinks it's time to address the problem once and for all by having having her tonsils removed.
"She needs to try and rest, because it tends to flare up when she is tired and run-down," reveals a source. "But that’s really difficult with her current schedule. She suffered throat problems a few times last year, and earlier this year. Leona's worried this may become a long-term problem and wants to sort it out."
Fans needn't worry about the procedure changing the powerful voice that propelled Leona to international fame, though. "(She) would like to reassure fans this is a routine operation which will not affect her voice," says the source. "She has sought specialists' advice for this. If an operation becomes necessary, it would be a routine procedure."
Her health problems aside there's lots of good news for the 22-year-old. While music mogul Simon Cowell has long championed the former receptionist's talents, she seems to have picked up an equally famous fan in the US. Talk show queen Oprah Winfrey told her recently: "You’re the real deal girl. Talk about a star is born!".
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