Ed Sheeran has revealed he has cut his friendship group to just four pals – as he admitted fame has left him feeling like a ‘zoo animal’ and unable to trust people.
The Shape Of You hitmaker, 28, opened up about his anxiety in an interview with The Sun, and admitted that he finds it difficult when people constantly snap photos of him in public.
He said: ‘It makes me feel like I’m not human. But what instantly cuts me off is that you’re having a moment with them which is so genuine and so nice and then at the end they ask for a picture.
Fame troubles: Ed Sheeran has revealed he has cut his friendship group to just four pals as he admitted crippling anxiety has left him feeling like a ‘zoo animal’ and unable to trust people
‘Like if I am eating in a restaurant now, I would prefer to have a private room because if I eat in the public room I have people filming me while I’m eating my food.
‘You feel like a zoo animal. I don’t mean to complain, I have a cool job and life. But I just want to avoid that.’
He hinted at his battle with mental health issues in his latest single I Don’t Care, which includes the lines: ‘With all these people all around, I’m crippled with anxiety, But I’m told it’s where I’m supposed to be.’
But the star admitted that his social anxiety means he doesn’t like large groups of people, and has even made him question his relationship with wife Cherry Seaborn.
Woes: The Shape Of You hitmaker, 28, opened up about his anxiety in an interview with The Sun, and admitted that he finds it difficult when people constantly take snap photos of him in public
He also said he now goes on tour with four of his friends and has closed down his social circles to ensure he is only around people he truly knows.
Ed, who is a notoriously private person, revealed his torment was sparked by the sudden surge of stardom upon releasing single Shape Of You in 2017, which took him to a ‘new level of fame’.
He was previously able to stay away from the spotlight and was unsure if his friends were hanging out with him because of his fame.
Mental health: the star admitted that his social anxiety means he doesn’t like large groups of people, and has even made him question his relationship with wife Cherry Seaborn
It forced Ed to purchase the sprawling £2million Suffolk estate to stay out of the limelight – with the start purchasing all of the houses on the grounds.
And Ed admitted he still struggles to comprehend why his wife is with him, and thinks ‘why the f*** are you with me?’ when he wakes up beside her every morning.
But the hitmaker says Cherry always resassures him, as he brands her ‘out of his league’.
It comes after Ed confirmed he married long-term girlfriend Cherry.
Following reports that they wed just before Christmas 2018, the singer revealed Cherry is his wife in a new interview on YouTube with Charlamagne The God to promote his album No.6 Collaborations Project.
Private life: It forced Ed to purchase the sprawling £2million Suffolk estate to stay out of the limelight – with the start purchasing all of the houses on the grounds
Tied the knot: Ed confirmed he is married to long-term girlfriend Cherry Seaborn (pictured in June 2019)
After Charlamagne Tha God asked about lyrics on the album which refer to the singer’s ‘wife’, Ed admitted that he wrote the words before the couple tied the knot, but he ‘knew that we’d be married by the point that the song came out.’
In the interview Ed is asked about the lyrics on his Eminem and 50 Cent collaboration Remember the Name, which say: ‘Watch how the lyrics in the songs might get twisted / My wife wears red, but looks better without the lipstick.’
Ed explained: ‘It was actually before me and Cherry got married and I knew that we’d be married by the point that the song came out. [I thought] Someone’s gonna hear that and be like, “Oh, they’re married!” I didn’t know how that would be construed, but obviously it’s already come out.’
Hitched: The Grammy award winner and Cherry wed just before Christmas, in a ceremony which saw just 40 close friends and family in attendance, according to a report in The Sun
The Grammy award winner and Cherry wed just before Christmas, in a ceremony which saw just 40 close friends and family in attendance, according to a report in The Sun.
It came just a year after Ed had denied that he and Cherry had tied the knot, after he was questioned about a new ring that had appeared on his wedding finger.
A source said: ‘Ed got married a few days before Christmas. It was very quiet – just Ed’s oldest school pals, limited family and the priest.
‘There were only 40 people – so no Taylor Swift, record company executives or any royals or pop star pals. He wanted no fuss and he wanted it to be something entirely for them – just a tiny winter wedding’.
Popped the question: Ed announced his engagement to Cherry, 26, in January 2018 with a candid Instagram snap