Madonna
MadonnaReuters

Popular singer Madonna revealed on Thursday that she contracted coronavirus and subsequently recovered from it.

The virus had forced her to pull out of a string of concerts in Paris in February and March.

Madonna said she had tested positive for antibodies which may mean she had COVID-19 -- though at the time she said she didn't realize she had it.

"I am not currently sick," she told her 15 million followers on Instagram, according to AFP.

"When you test positive for anti-bodies it means you had the virus, which I clearly did as I was sick at the end of my tour in Paris over seven weeks ago along with many other artists in my show," she added.

The 61-year-old star only played a single night in Paris on February 22 before calling off the next show, citing "ongoing injuries".

She later called off two further Paris concerts after French authorities banned large gatherings in a bid to stem the spread of the virus in early March.

"At the time we all thought we had a bad flu," Madonna wrote in her post. "Thank God we are all healthy and well now."

The singer revealed she had the virus after sharing an article about her donating $1.1 million (one million euros) towards research to find a vaccine for the coronavirus.

Madonna performed in Israel last year, during the Eurovision Song Contest, after refusing to cave in to pressure from the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and cancel her appearance.

The appearance was controversial, as one of the dancers who accompanied Madonna as she sang on stage had the PLO flag on the back of his shirt.

Madonna is among several celebrities who have contracted the virus. One of those celebrities is actor Tom Hanks, who in March tested positive for coronavirus while on a visit to Australia.