Ed Sheeran has revealed the shame he felt while struggling with his mental health last year.
In a wide-ranging new cover story with Rolling Stone, the pop superstar didn’t hold back, opening up about his private life as he prepares for the release of his new album, Subtract (or -), in May.
After the unexpected deaths of two close friends, Australian cricket great Shane Warne and, in particular, English music entrepreneur Jamal Edwards, said that he struggled with really bad depression.
“I felt like I didn’t want to live anymore,” he told the publication. “And I have had that throughout my life.… You’re under the waves drowning. You’re just sort of in this thing. And you can’t get out of it.”
Soon enough, Sheeran felt added shame about his declining mental health as they seemed “selfish.” “Especially as a father. I feel really embarrassed about it,” he added.
It was the singer-songwriter’s wife, Cherry Seaborn, who eventually convinced him to seek help. “I’ve always had real lows in my life. But it wasn’t really till last year that I actually addressed it,” he said.
As Sheeran noted, though, seeing a therapist wasn’t a big thing where he came from. “No one really talks about their feelings where I come from,” he insisted. “People think it’s weird getting a therapist in England.… I think it’s very helpful to be able to speak with someone and just vent and not feel guilty about venting. Obviously, like, I’ve lived a very privileged life. So my friends would always look at me like, ‘Oh, it’s not that bad.’”
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You can read the full Rolling Stone cover story here.
In other Sheeran news, he recently wrapped the Australian leg of his mammoth world tour, which turned out to be a record-breaking trip.
The singer filled the MCG on Thursday, March 2nd, with 105,000 fans watching on, a new national record for a ticketed concert. The following day, he set the record straight once more with 109,500 fans filing through the gates. It’s unlikely that those records will be broken anytime soon (perhaps when Sheeran next returns to the country for a tour).
For more on this topic, follow the Pop Observer.
