Shakira reschedules El Dorado Tour dates for 2018

Shakira has rescheduled her 'El Dorado World Tour' after suffering a haemorrhage in her vocal cord.

The 40-year-old singer was due start the run of dates in Germany on November 8, but was forced to pull out of the opening show on doctor's orders, to avoid further damaging her voice.

Now the Cologne show will take place on June 5, and the 'Hips Don't Lie' singer's dates in the US, which were due to kick off in January, have been pushed back to August.

The American shows commence on August 5 in Chicago, Illinois, before the Latin beauty heads to a further 18 cities.

Shakira says the unfortunate injury has made her realise that her vocals have a "purpose", and she is extremely thankful to her fans for supporting her.

And she's "counting down the days" till she can perform again.

In a note announcing the new dates, Shakira wrote to her fans: "I wanted to write one more letter to express my gratitude to all of you for the immeasurable love and support that you have sent me these past few weeks. You have made me feel that my voice is not only mine but also yours, and that it has a purpose.

There were times when your prayers and messages of affection and encouragement along with those of my family were the only thing buoying my spirits.

Though I very much hoped to be able to recover my vocal cords in time to pick the tour back up in January, and after exploring many options to that effect, I have accepted that this is an injury that simply needs more time and care to heal.

I feel for all of you who planned ahead to come to these shows and who have been so patient as I took the time needed to figure out the best course of action with my doctors.

Thankfully, I am so relieved and happy to share with you that I will be getting back on the road in June 2018 with my El Dorado World Tour in Europe, and the US, with Latin America dates to be announced soon.

I am very proud of this show; I feel it's my best yet, since it has a repertoire filled with heartfelt songs and exciting moments of music and dance. I really can't wait for June!