Madonna admits she’s ‘surprised she made it this far’ as she takes to the stage 20 MINUTES late to kick off her Celebration Tour in London – after a serious health scare forced her to postpone shows

Madonna kicked off her long-awaited Celebration Tour 20 minutes late on Saturday night after postponing her shows due to a serious health scare.

The Queen of Pop performs an ambitious 45-song setlist highlighting her record-breaking 40-year career at the O2 Arena in Greenwich.

But even though the show was supposed to start at 8.30pm, the show started about 20 minutes late as the audience was entertained by a drag queen.

Madonna, who was wearing a stunning bejeweled headpiece, was then hit by technical problems and the show was paused shortly after it started.

‘That’s exactly what you don’t want to happen on your first night!’ she joked.

The singer, 65, spoke to her fans between songs, thanking them for their support after being treated for acute septic shock: ‘Oh my god, it’s so good to be back in London. I’m pretty surprised I’ve made it this far.

“I mean this on so many levels. How did I get this far? For you. But I’ll take some credit too.

“It’s so nice to see you again and come back.” I will tell you my life story, but through music.’

So far she has performed hits such as Like A Prayer, Live To Tell, Holiday and Nothing Really Matters – and revealed her children were in the audience for the spectacular opening night show.

As is typical of her style, Madonna’s show was filled with dramatic scenes and bold expressions.

During Like A Prayer, lighted crucifixes were projected onto the screen, while her performance of Hung Up saw her passionately seduce the dancer.

The Papa Don’t Preach hitmaker gave a stunningly intimate tribute to fans midway through her performance, talking about a time when she was ‘broke and homeless’.

She said: “I was broke, homeless and hungry, but I wasn’t going to go back because I don’t give up. So I decided to become a musician

“I didn’t have money to take a bath or shower so I would actually date men who had showers and bathrooms.”

Also on the show, Madonna paid tribute to stars who died of AIDS, including Freddie Mercury.

Alongside the message, which read “In memory of the bright lights we lost to AIDS”, photos of Mercury and Arthur Ashe were displayed.

It comes after it was reported that Madonna will reportedly take her upcoming celebration tour “at a slower pace” following a serious health scare in June.

Singer was forced to postpone performances because she was being treated for acute septic shock, but officially re-started rehearsals in August.

The insider said The mirror she’s taking things ‘at a slower pace’ and ‘took boxing lessons’ – thanks to her new boyfriend Josh Popper, 29 – as well as yoga and weekly vitamin injections to help her recovery.

The icon was rushed to intensive care and intubated after she was found slumped on the floor of her New York apartment.

Her family, who rushed to her bedside, were said to be “preparing for the worst” and “fearing we might lose her”.

Since Madonna could not make a decision on her own, they had to decide to postpone the long-awaited tour.

She was given an injection of Narcan – commonly used to treat suspected drug overdoses – to combat acute septic shock before being rushed to hospital, Radar Online reported.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused when the body releases chemicals to fight infection. These chemicals damage the body’s own tissues and organs and can lead to shock, organ failure, and death.

Bacteria can enter through cuts, wounds, and the digestive system, among other things. Sepsis is triggered when bacteria enter the bloodstream.

Doctors told DailyMail.com that Madonna looked worn out, emaciated and exhausted in the days before she nearly died from a serious infection.

After reviewing photos taken days before her illness, doctors said she looked “exhausted” and appeared “thin”.

Her skin also looks pale, which can be a sign of exhaustion, said Dr. Stuart Fisher, who has more than 40 years of medical experience.

The photo, posted on Instagram four days before she was hospitalized, captioned ‘the calm before the storm’, showed her lying on the floor while wearing a black jumpsuit and fishnet tights.

Dr Fisher, who is also a former emergency room doctor in New York, told DailyMail.com after looking at the photos that she was clearly ‘exhausted’.

“He looks exhausted,” he said.

“Intensive rehearsals and the stress associated with big performances are undoubtedly risks for immunosuppression and unwanted health problems.”

“It is the doctor’s responsibility to point it out.” Just because someone is an international celebrity doesn’t mean they’re invulnerable.’

Next her hospitalization Madonna was taken over by the Nassau Coliseum New York City in August to prepare for a global tour.

She then has secretly rented out a UK arena while rehearsing for her upcoming Celebration Tour, according to a report.

The legendary singer went to Manchester’s AO for some ‘intense last minute rehearsals’ to make sure everything went to plan.

Accompanied by an army of backup dancers, Madonna and her team prepared for her first night at London’s O2 Arena.

She had less than 48 hours to perform after being given access to the O2 for Blink 182’s tour, whereas she would normally have rehearsed a full week beforehand.

The source said Sun: ‘Madonna’s tour is going to be epic. She is now locked in full days of rehearsals, some of which last 12 hours.

“The scene is the most elaborate she’s ever hit the road.

“The tour is a celebration of her record-breaking career, so everything has to be perfect.”