Avril Lavigne bails from more concerts

Avril Lavigne has been forced to postponed a string of tour dates after being diagnosed with acute laryngitis.

Lavigne lost her voice two months into her five-month world tour. "I have been sick this whole tour," she said.

Two dates were cancelled last week and six more shows, in California and Washington, have now been called off.

After a sound check in Anaheim, California, she said: "Even though I have been resting my voice for days, when I tried to sing nothing came out."

She has postponed shows in Anaheim, Universal City, Santa Barbara, San Jose - all in California - and Spokane and Everett in Washington.

She had already cancelled concerts in San Diego, California, and Phoenix, Arizona.

"My sincerest apologies to all of my fans," she said on Saturday.

"My intention was to complete the rest of the tour but tonight at sound check in Anaheim I realised this wasn't possible."

Explaining the initial cancellations, she told fans on Thursday she had suffered flu three times during her tour and was "run down".

"I have never cancelled a show in my whole career and just had to for the first time ever. This sux!" she wrote on her website.