Ed Sheeran says not drinking ‘every single day’ helped him lose five stone

The singer said his young daughter has been the ‘biggest motivation’ to give up his bad habits

Ed Sheeran has said that cutting out alcohol has helped him lose weight put on by an unhealthy lifestyle during tours.

In a new interview with The Sun, Sheeran said the birth of his daughter Lyra this June inspired him to adopt a cleaner, healthier lifestyle, including moderating his consumption of “chicken wings, wine and beer”.

The “Shape Of You” singer explained: “Lyra has been the biggest motivation in terms of detoxing my life, and I think it’s a change everyone needs to go through if they’re a parent.”

The singer, whose new album Equals is scheduled for release this Friday (29 October), told the newspaper that he gave up binge-drinking three months before Lyra was born because he wanted to be the one to drive his wife, Cherry Seaborn, to the hospital.

Revealing that he always knew he was “big”, Sheeran said: “I was 15-and-a-half stone at my peak and I think I’m ten-and-a-half now – I was big, it really showed. I had a 36 waist — now I’m down to 28.”

However, Sheeran said he still does the things he loves – “I drank wine yesterday” – because cutting them out completely might tempt him into bingeing again.

The 30-year-old said he’s made “a lot of mistakes” over the course of his career and that touring as a solo artist left him feeling extremely lonely.

“It’s very solitary being a solo artist – even a successful one – because you come off stage and then suddenly it’s just you,” Sheeran said.

“I was literally going out on my own, not knowing anyone, walking into a bar, and seeing where the night took me.”

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Sheeran and his daughter recently tested positive for Covid-19 and are currently isolating together at home. His wife has tested negative.

“Being able to be with her for 10 straight days is great,” he told the Daily Mail. “I just spoke to Cherry and told her to relax, take long baths! Our fridge is full and we are just eating all the time.”