Ed Sheeran has opened up about his private battle with disordered eating in a new interview with Rolling Stone.
Speaking to the publication, Sheeran got candid on his self-image, saying he had always felt “fat,” something he believed had been exacerbated by his fame.
“I’m self-conscious anyway, but you get into an industry where you’re getting compared to every other pop star,” Sheeran told the magazine, per The Sun.
In particular, Sheeran recalled comparing himself to the “fantastic figures” of Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Zayn Malik.
“I was in the One Direction wave, and I’m like, ‘Well, why don’t I have a six-pack?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, because you love kebabs and drink beer.’ Then you do songs with Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes.”
The singer revealed he believes he has a similar relationship to food as Sir Elton John, who has previously revealed a tumultuous relationship with food in his autobiography, Me.
“I found myself doing what Elton talks about in his book – gorging, and then it would come up again,” he said.
It’s not the first time Sheeran has spoken about this connection. At an online summit in 2020 he recalled reading John’s autobiography, saying, “There’s so many things that he did that I do.”
“He would be like, ‘I would just go on an ice cream binge and eat four desserts until I threw up’, and I was like, ‘I’ve done that before’.”
Speaking to Rolling Stone, he shared that, in recent years, he had channelled his addictive tendencies into other areas of his life.
“I have a real eating problem. I’m a real binge eater. I’m a binge-everything. But I’m now more of a binge exerciser, and a binge dad. And work, obviously.”
Sheeran also touched on the unusualness for male celebrities to speak out on the topics of body image and disordered eating, admitting he felt “mad uncomfortable” but that “it’s good to be honest.”
If you or someone you know needs help, contact the Butterfly Foundation National Help Line on 1800 33 4673 or visit the Butterfly Foundation.
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