Janet Jackson postpones European tour dates

Pop star Janet Jackson has postponed dates on her European tour three weeks before it was due to start.

The Nasty singer rescheduled the second North American leg of her tour in January (16) to undergo throat surgery, but assured fans overseas she would be fit and well enough to kick off the European leg of her Unbreakable World Tour in Birmingham, England on 30 March (16).

It was announced on Tuesday (08Mar16) that all U.K. dates had been postponed, along with some concerts in mainland Europe.

Fans were informed in an email from online retailer Ticketmaster, which reads: "The event organisers have been in touch to let us know that, due to scheduling difficulties, they've had to postpone The 'Unbreakable' Tour at the following venues."

Dates at London's 02 Arena and in Manchester, England and Glasgow, Scotland have been scrapped, plus shows in Ireland, Germany and France. Ticketmaster officials are giving concertgoers refunds because "it is not possible to confirm new dates at the present time".

Janet, who is still set to perform at the Dubai World Cup horse race in the United Arab Emirates on 26 March (16), has kept a low profile since she underwent surgery, but posted a video to her Twitter.com account in February (16) telling fans, "Hey, you guys I'm here in London. I am so excited, we are so excited. We cannot wait to perform for you. See you soon."

She was spotted publicly for the first time since the operation at designer Haider Ackermann's runway presentation for Paris Fashion Week over the weekend (05-06Mar16).

When she first announced her U.S. tour cancellation, Janet was forced to deny rumours she was battling cancer. She wrote in a video message, "Remember... believe it when you hear it from my lips. The rumours are untrue. I do not have cancer. I'm recovering. My doctors have approved my concerts as scheduled in Europe, and as I promised, the postponed shows will be rescheduled."