The celebrities on the Kilimanjaro charity trek are having to acclimatise fast to the harsh realities of climbing Africa's biggest mountain.
DJ Fearne Cotton starting to suffer nose bleeds and all of the nine-strong team are beginning to feel emotional as they battle to reach the summit in aid of Comic Relief.
Spirits were not improved as the party witnessed a climber from another group stretchered away after suffering acute altitude sickness.
A Comic Relief doctor had to race ahead to assist the distressed man after the group rose above the tree line for the first time on day three
Suffering: Fearne Cotton has started to get nose bleeds as the group of nine celebrities continue their trek up Mount Kilimanjaro in aid of Comic Relief
Now they are on alert for symptoms of altitude sickness, with the entire team having to deal with headaches and nausea.
Fearne suffered most, combing down with occasional nose bleeds as the group battle to reach the top of the 19,340ft mountain.
The girls, including Cheryl Cole, Kimberley Walsh, Alesha Dixon and Denise Van Outen, were tearful as they stopped for the night at a barren camp after climbing to 3800 metres.
Cheryl was shocked after seeing the climber being taken to a lower height and began to feel concerned for her own health.
Cheryl Cole and Kimberley Walsh set out from camp early on day three
She said: 'He looked scared, really frightened. It really shook me up, shook all of us up.
'You feel really strange at this altitude anyway, emotional and strange - then to see that really got to us.
'I started to wonder if I was suffering from it too - but I'm alright and we've got each other to help us get through and hopefully get all the way to the top.'
Cheryl and the rest of the group were distressed after seeing a male climber from another group stretchered down the mountain suffering acute altitude sickness
Her Girls Aloud bandmate Kimberley added: 'This is hard, the walking is tough, but the altitude makes you feel so different. It was great to climb so high today but to see that man looking so panicked was horrible.
'I'm so glad we are all here to support one another, it would be impossible otherwise.'
Take That's Gary Barlow was forced to wait behind during the optional acclimatisation walk due to his back pain which is still causing the group concern.
Kimberley says she wouldn't be able to do the climb without the team's support
Gary said 'I woke up with bad back this morning. The rest of the guys did a big acclimatisation climb, but I gave my back a rest and went with a guide on my own for a lonely four-hour trek.
'It was the right thing to do though - I'm feeling better tonight - big day tomorrow.'
Chris Moyles overcame severe vertigo today to reach the dizzy heights of Mount Kilimanjaro’s terrifying Cathedral Ridge.
Time for a pee break: Ronan Keating answers a call of nature
While reflecting on his detox to prepare for the challenges of the climb he exclaimed 'Never mind Gary's back, my liver is in danger of turning a normal colour!'
Earlier on in the day Comic Relief’s celebrity climbers surprised Ronan Keating on the morning of his 32nd birthday by rousing him from his tent with a birthday singsong, balloons and cards from his family and friends.
Later on Ronan was in for more birthday treats when the group set up camp in the clouds and presented him with a huge birthday cake.
Singer Alesha Dixon showed guides photos on her digital camera
An embarrassed Ronan joked 'Girls Aloud, Gary Barlow, Alesha Dixon – all these big mega stars singing Happy Birthday to me, it was really special, really great.'
The celebrity team’s efforts will raise money to help change lives across Africa and the UK.
In particular the celebrities will be exploring how they can help tackle malaria, a disease which kills a child every 30 seconds across Africa. In Tanzania, where Kilimanjaro is situated, malaria is the leading killer of children.
With money raised from the event, Comic Relief will be able to provide mosquito nets in Africa that can help prevent potentially fatal bites that cause malaria, as well as helping extremely vulnerable, poor and disadvantaged people in the UK.
So far they have raised more than £750,000, over three quarters of their £1million target.
To sponsor The BT Red Nose Climb go to rednoseday.com.
Radio 1 Chris Moyles treks on a steep section of mountain
Source: Daily Mail Uk.
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