Losing, bulimia and drugs: Ed Sheeran has had a rough year

Ed Sheeran is one of the most successful songwriters in show business, with over 77 million monthly listeners on Spotify. The British singer is not only known for his hits, but also for his humor and self-mockery. In an interview with “Rolling Stone Magazine” he now also reveals the dark side of his success. He talks about bulimia, his drug use and how therapy is helping now.

Ed Sheeran has had a rough year. In the spring of 2022, fate struck him several times at once: his best friend, Jamal Edwards, died at just 31 years old from the consequences of his cocaine use. Almost at the same time, a tumor was discovered in Sheeran’s pregnant wife. And if that wasn’t enough, he also faced a copyright lawsuit in court over his song “Shape of You.”

All this plunged the singer into a deep depression – he even had suicidal thoughts, he says in an interview now. “I’ve had lows in my life, but I never really dealt with them until last year.” He then experienced again what he had felt before: “I felt like I didn’t want to live anymore.” Now that he’s a father, he felt guilty, as if his thoughts were selfish. According to Sheeran, he was very ashamed of that.

His wife Cherry Seaborn initiated him into therapy. It was she who told her husband to get help. The singer listened to her, for the first time in his life he is now in therapy. In Britain this is heavily stigmatized, he says: “People in England think it’s funny if you look for a therapist.”

Sheeran also talks about how he was “always a drinker” – but didn’t get into other drugs until he was 24. He doesn’t want to name the fabrics: he doesn’t want his two children to ever read about them. The singer first tried something out at a festival with friends. “And then it becomes a habit that you make every week. And then daily. And then suddenly several times a day.” Giving up the liquor was the hardest part. He realized for a moment when his wife asked him, “Do you really want someone else to take me to the hospital if my water breaks?” He realized he was now in his thirties and needed to grow up.

The pop star also talks about the pressure to look good. About how he compared himself to other artists. “You make songs with Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes, who have a fantastic figure and you wonder, ‘Why am I so fat?'” The result: Sheeran slipped into bulimia – he ate and vomited his food again .

According to his own statements, Ed Sheeran is doing better today. He is into sports and is currently touring New Zealand with his whole family.

(ann)