Ed Sheeran was catapulted to global stardom when he first burst onto the music scene in 2012. Within a whirlwind few months he could boast two BRIT awards, joining Taylor Swift on tour and selling out his own gigs and performances. However, the 26-year-old has admitted that his newfound fame wasn't all glitz and glamour. In fact, he found the pressure of being recognised all the time so overwhelming he became somewhat of a recluse as he came to terms with his new A-list status.
"I stayed inside for four months," he told The Sun. "I just ordered food in and watched movies. I couldn't just go out and get a pint of milk. I always wanted to maintain normality – being able to go to the pub or go and do a gig."
© Photo: Getty ImagesEd Sheeran has admitted he initially struggled to cope with being famous
The Yorkshire-born star explained that, as well as his social life, his introverted lifestyle began to take a toll on his health. "I just stopped going out – instead I was ordering takeaways and putting on a lot of weight," he admitted. "I hadn't got any balance, so I just stayed inside."
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Ed – whose new album Divide is inspired by those difficult times – revealed that while he always wanted to be a successful musician, being famous was a completely different ball park. "I think there is a difference between fame and success," he mused. "Success is playing Wembley Stadium and fame is not being able to go outside. I think they are two very different things."
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe singer has already garnered an impressive collection of accolades for his music
Nowadays, the Shape of You hitmaker has found a safe haven where he can escape the world of fame in between his tours. "I had to move from where I was in London to somewhere else," he said. "I never really wanted to live in the fancy part of town, I never really want to be that guy. Then I quickly realised that why everyone lives there is because it’s a sheltered community where you don’t really get bothered."
Ed's success is still going strong, with his newest album set to launch, not to mention his ever-growing collection of Grammys, VMAs and BRIT awards. It's not just his career which is going well – the singer has found love in his personal life with girlfriend Cherry Seaborn. Ed recently hinted that he is ready to settle down and marry Cherry, his former school friend, whom he began dating in 2015. When asked by Australian radio chat show hosts Kylie and Jackie if his relationship with Cherry could lead to "marriage", he coyly replied: "I'm pretty... yeah I feel pretty good about it."
