Ed Sheeran has opened up on his secret heartache after his wife Cherry Seaborn was diagnosed with a tumour while she was pregnant with their second child.
The Thinking Out Loud hitmaker admitted he "spiralled" into depression last year following the diagnosis and also the unexpected death of his friend Jamal Edwards aged 31 - the son of Loose Women's Brenda Edwards.
Ed, who has announced a new album titled Subtract, which is out on 5th May 2023, explained how there was "no route to treatment until after the birth".
The singer, who is dad to daughters Lyra and Jupiter with wife Cherry, has not revealed any more details about his wife's tumour, location or type of treatment.
In a handwritten note, uploaded via his social media he went on to admit that the devastating impact of those events "changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music".
At the time, Ed was also in court, facing a copyright trial and he admitted he scrapped "hundreds" of sons he'd written for his upcoming sixth album.
He wrote, "Writing songs is my therapy. It helps me make sense of my feelings. I wrote without thought of what the songs would be, I just wrote whatever tumbled out. And in just over a week I replaced a decade’s worth of work with my deepest darkest thoughts."
Ed, who married his childhood sweetheart in 2019, explained how he turned his feelings into lyrics, "This album is purely that. It’s opening the trapdoor into my soul. For the first time, I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life," part of the lengthy post read.
And he added, "This is last February’s diary entry and my way of making sense of it. This is Subtract."
And fans have rallied round with support for the star.
One fan wrote, "This is the reason why your music is truly inspiring and why I continue listening to your songs, because it really comes from your heart, because you’re dreams bigger than just being on the rich list. And people will remember your name for that...."
Another fan put, "I am so sorry for all the pain you have been going through. Hoping your wife is well and on the mend. You are a very talented musician. Keep using your music for therapy. Stay strong and hugs to you and your family."
And a third fan added, "Sorry you had to go through all this."
Ed teased the album's tracklisting with the promo video, with the words of the songtitles written in the sand; The Hills of Aberfeldy, No Strings, Sycamore, Vega, Spark, Borderline, Curtains, Colourblind, End of Youth, Dusty, Life Goes On, Eyes Closed, Saltwater, Boat.
Ed and Cherry welcomed their daughter last May and he did not give an update on his wife's health.
Ed Sheeran has announced a documentary on Disney+.
Ed Sheeran's Subtract album, will be an Aaron Dessner-produced acoustic album, and is on sale 5th May, 2023.
