[bitontheslide]

Former X Factor contestant Chico Slimani has suffered a stroke.

The 47-year-old, who was a popular star on the second series of the show, fell ill on the way back from performing a gig at the weekend.

A statement from his publicist said he was undergoing further tests and asked for privacy for his family.

He reached the quarter-finals of the 2005 series and had a number one in 2006 with It's Chico Time. He also took part in Dancing on Ice in 2012.

He appeared in the Christmas special of Ricky Gervais's BBC One sitcom Extras in 2007, and also released a fitness DVD.

His publicist Kym Rowlingson said: "This has been a great shock to Chico, his wife and their two children, also his close friends and family.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-45599479