Ed Sheeran is one of the UK’s biggest stars but his life hasn’t always been easy as he’s opened up about being bullied, sleeping rough and his battle with drugs.
Ed Sheeran stands as one of Britain’s most celebrated performers, with admirers constantly eager to discover more about his existence beyond the spotlight.
All three instalments of Limitless season two have arrived on Disney+, featuring actor Chris Hemsworth exploring various methods to enhance his lifestyle.
The opening episode witnesses the 42-year-old mastering drumming techniques in an effort to boost his cognitive abilities, but to heighten the pressure further, he must perform at an Ed Sheeran gig.
With The Shape of You hitmaker returning to our screens, here’s all you need to understand about Ed Sheeran’s personal journey.
Bullying
Whilst he may command worldwide fame today, Sheeran wasn’t always well-liked and endured torment from bullies during his school years.
In conversation with DJ Nihal and rapper Dave, he openly confessed: “I hated primary school with a passion; I cried every day.
“I’m ginger, so I was instantly ripped into from the day I started school – ginger, had a stutter, and wore huge glasses… just a bit odd.
“I have always looked a little bit quirky and I never had much luck with girls.
“It was always like I looked a bit weird and then when I started playing music every time I would do a gig everyone was like, ‘Oh it’s the ginger guy with the small guitar’, and you get remembered for that.”
Rough sleeping
Whilst the 34-year-old honed his musical talents, he departed Suffolk to begin anew in London, where he would perform on the streets and take on performances wherever possible.
Ed Sheeran’s journey to stardom wasn’t always smooth sailing, as he revealed in his 2014 autobiography ‘A Visual Journey’, where he shared tales of having to find inventive places to sleep.
He penned: “There was an arch outside Buckingham Palace that has a heating duct and I spent a couple of nights there.
“That’s where I wrote the song Homeless and the lines, ‘It’s not a homeless night for me, I’m just home less than I’d like to be.’
“I didn’t have anywhere to live for much of 2008 and the whole of 2009 and 2010, but somehow I made it work.
“I spent a week catching up on sleep on Circle Line trains.
“I’d go out and play a gig, wait until 5am when the Underground opened, sleep on the Circle Line until 12, go to a session – and then repeat. It wasn’t that bad.
“It’s not like I was sleeping rough on the cold streets.”
Love life
Sheeran didn’t have to look very far to find “The One” as he met his future wife, Cherry Seaborn, during their childhood in Suffolk, but they only reconnected in 2015 in New York thanks to a mutual friend’s suggestion.
This chance meeting sparked a romance that led to a low-key wedding in 2018 and the arrival of their daughters, Lyra in 2020 and Jupiter in 2022.
Speaking on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2021, Sheeran remarked: “I just found that I really didn’t have a purpose outside of [music] because when I was giving myself fixed time of no work, I wasn’t doing anything I enjoyed because I love doing music.
“And [being a dad] has actually given me purpose and something in life that’s actually more important than my job.”
Drugs and alcohol
Like countless other megastars, The A Team hitmaker had dabbled with substances and booze to excess, branding himself a “party boy” when speaking to Rolling Stone.
“I was always a drinker. I didn’t touch any sort of like, drug, until I was 24,” he revealed.
“I remember just being at a festival and being like, ‘Well, if all of my friends do it, it can’t be that bad’. And then sort of dabbling.
“Then it just turns into a habit that you do once a week and then once a day and then, like, twice a day and then, like, without booze. It just became bad vibes.”
Two pivotal moments ultimately prompted Sheeran to abandon his destructive habits permanently: fatherhood and the devastating loss of mate Jamal Edwards.
The music mogul tragically passed away from cardiac arrhythmia triggered by cocaine consumption.
Sheeran declared: “I would never, ever, ever touch anything again, because that’s how Jamal died.
“And that’s just disrespectful to his memory to even, like, go near.”
Discussing how becoming a father transformed his perspective, the chart-topper continued: “I don’t ever want to be pissed holding my kid. Ever, ever.
“Having a couple of beers is one thing. But having a bottle of vodka is another thing.
“It’s just a realisation of, ‘I’m getting into my thirties. Grow up! You’ve partied, you’ve had this experience. Be happy with that and just be done.'”.
Next album
The future is looking bright for Sheeran as he is set to release his new album Play on Friday, September 12.
This will mark his eighth studio record and kicks off a planned quintet of symbol-themed releases.
Taking to Instagram, the crooner revealed: “Play was an album that was made as a direct response to the darkest period of my life.
“Coming out of all of that I just wanted to create joy and technicolour, and explore cultures in the countries I was touring.
“I made this record all over the world, finished it in Goa, India, and had some of the most fun, explorative creative days of my life.
“It’s a real rollercoaster of emotions from start to finish, it encapsulates everything that I love about music, and the fun in it, but also where I am in life as a human, a partner, a father.”
Limitless is available to watch on Disney+.
