Ed Sheeran reveals secret boozy night out with major sports star as he lifts lid on his huge celeb pals

The Sun

10-06-2025

AS one of the nicest blokes in the music business, it's no wonder Ed Sheeran's little black book is crammed full of huge celebrities.
And in a new chat on The Louis Theroux podcast, he talks about famous friends including Van Morrison, who once woke him up at 6am after a boozy night out with Rory McIlroy, demanding to see him.
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'I was doing a gig in Belfast and my grandmother had come down to the gig and she loves golf,' Ed said.
' Rory had come down and she loved being around him. We stayed up super late talking to him, and I'd say we went to bed at like 4am.
'About 6am, I got a call on my hotel phone from the hotel — 'Mr Morrison's in the lobby, he wants to have breakfast with you'.
'I was half asleep and half drunk. So I just hung up and I was like, 'I have no idea who Mr Morrison is.'
'Then I got another call and they said, 'Sorry, Van Morrison is in'.
'I ran downstairs and there he was waiting for me and we had breakfast, which is really surreal.
'I'm a huge fan. We spoke for ages about everything we did. One of the subjects was actually Spotify.
'I had embraced Spotify quite early in my career and I think he was asking me to explain Spotify to him.'
Ed also talked about hanging out with Eminem after he worked on the rapper's 2018 song River.
'He loves comic books, Marvel movies and video games,' Ed explained.
Ed Sheeran left red-faced after cops in India demand he shut down street performance
'I sent him a Nintendo 64 with Goldeneye on it because he'd never played it.'
About his new album Play, which is out on September 12, Ed said it feels like a double-edged sword.
He explained: 'The two joys of my life professionally are writing songs and performing. I f***ing hate releasing music.
'You love the songs so much and then suddenly you're putting them out there and that might change your relationship with them if other people don't like them.
'I'm trying my hardest not to let that happen.
'I find releasing it just kind of sucks the joy out of it.'
ED ON DAVE...
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'HE'S done a lot of production on the new record because aside from being a brilliant lyricist, he's also an incredible producer and writer.'
...ON SIR ELTON
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'HE still calls me Ed She-ran. I just think that's just programmed in.'
...ON STORMZY
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'I BOUGHT my first car, a Mini, and I then drove him to the pub. He didn't fit in the back.'
...ON EMINEM
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'HE seems like he'd be quite shy but I don't think he is when you get to know him. His humour is very similar to mine.'
...ON SAM FENDER
'I MESSAGED him just being like, 'I really like this song'. I still haven't met him, but I at least know that there's a connection somewhere of mutual respect.'
PITBULL LEADS BALD E PARTY
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PITBULL is back at London's O2 Arena for another two sold out nights after a successful show earlier this year.
Delivering possibly the most fun gig i've ever been to, his Party After Dark Tour is a nostalgic trip down memory lane with feel good banger after banger after banger.
Everyone there simply wants to have a good time - with the tube to the venue packed with fans in costumes all singing at the top of their lungs.
Chancing my luck, I opted to dress as Mr Worldwide himself... and safe to say it went down a treat backstage.
After a flurry of possibly the hottest female dancers I've ever seen, Pitbull appeared out of his dressing room - catching my outfit and grinning from ear to ear.
"Man I love it" he laughed before giving me a big hug.
I quickly launched into a short tale of how I'd ran to Soho that afternoon to buy my baldcap - bumping into three other music lovers doing exactly the same thing.
Smiling Pitbull said: "Well next time you see them you make sure you tell them from me thank you. I love all my Bald E's.
"We are going to have a great show tonight. I can feel it.
"For the first time tonight my band are going to dress as Bald E's too."
He added on stage: "I tell you why I call you guys [fans] the bald E's. Because we fly high, and we soar high like bald eagles. So therefore we are the bald E's
"And everywhere we go, and anytime you're there, you put on that bald cap and you already know you are going to have the time of your life.
In fact new date from QR Code Generator have revealed searches for 'bald cap' have it an all time high in the UK amid Pitbull's tour.
It's hard to quite put into words the energy in the O2 - 90% of the sold out 20,000 venue has come dressed as the star.
Sure concerts like Taylor Swift have an amazing atmosphere and everyone dresses up but vibe at Pitbull is... different.
No one cares about looking sexy or Instagram-ready as they are wearing a rubber bald cap and shirt.
They are simply there to have a good time - and boy does he pull it off.
You don't need therapy. You just need two hours at a Pitbull gig.
By Jack Hardwick
MARIAH BACK TO HER GOLD SELF
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GOLDEN girl Mariah Carey turned back the clock and looked remarkably youthful as she performed at the BET Awards in Los Angeles.
Wearing a glittering mini-dress, she sang her new single, Type Dangerous, before collecting the Ultimate Icon Award.
Jennifer Hudson, Snoop Dogg and Kevin Hart were also at the event celebrating black entertainers, as was breakout rapper Doechii, who used her Best Female Hip-Hop Artist speech to take aim at Donald Trump for his crackdown on people protesting against immigration raids.
The star, who will perform at Glastonbury later this month, said: 'Trump is using military forces to stop a protest.
'I want you all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us. What type of government is that?'
PULP HEAD TO GLASTO
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GLASTONBURY got fans into a frenzy when organisers announced the full festival line-up, including a mysterious band called Patchwork.
Now I can reveal who the band destined for the Saturday Pyramid Stage actually are – as I have been told punters can expect a set from Pulp.
Jarvis Cocker and co headlined the festival 30 years ago and last did a surprise set there in 2011. But they are about to return following their comeback with new music.
The band are set to top the charts this Friday for the first time in 27 years thanks to their album More, so this will be the perfect way to celebrate.
There are also plenty of whispers about surprise Glasto performances from Lewis Capaldi and Haim, so there's lots to look forward to in three weeks' time.
But organiser Emily Eavis kept schtum about who Patchwork are when asked about them during the Sidetracked by Glastonbury podcast on BBC Sounds.
Speaking to hosts Annie MacManus and Nick Grimshaw, she said: 'I've been working on Patchwork for a long time. I tell you what, pretty much since I saw you this time last year I've been working on Patchwork.'
Asked if that meant they took 'a lot of persuading', she added: 'Well, it's more logistical.'
Foo Fighters did a set under the name The Churnups in 2023, and this sounds just as exciting.
MILEY END TO FAMILY QUARREL
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MILEY CYRUS has revealed she was the one to end the family feud following her parents' divorce.
On the Reclaiming with Monica Lewinsky podcast yesterday, she explained: 'My family and I have had a really difficult, dark decade.
'Half of us weren't speaking to each other at one point. And we cleaned all that up. That was a really important part of my year.' She added: 'I watched what happens when you don't clean things up as they're happening.'
Asked if they'd had therapy, Miley said: 'We're so messy. We didn't even do any of that. To get each other in a room to even get to counselling would have been a war. So it was easier to just go, 'white flag'.'
Miley, above, has written a song, Secrets, for her next album, about reconnecting with dad Billy Ray.
RONNIE'S A PAINT ROLLER
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FANS of Ronnie Wood can get their hands on his new art as he celebrates 50 years as a member of the Rolling Stones.
The rock great, who is as handy with a paintbrush as he is with a guitar pick, had his work on display at the band's official store in London's Carnaby Street last week, before putting the items up for sale on his website.
The musician's new exhibits include 50 – The Portraits which are hand-finished canvases of Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and the band's late, great drummer Charlie Watts.
Superfans can also buy an exclusive bundle that includes four portraits and a setlist from Ronnie's first show with the Stones in 1975, along with a limited-edition 7in vinyl single which contains a new recording by Ronnie.
MUSE, the best live band I've ever seen in my life, have stepped in at the last minute to replace Kings of Leon as top of the bill for Madrid's Mad Cool Festival.
The American rockers were forced to pull out after singer Caleb Followill injured his foot.
But British act Muse will headline the opening night on July 10 instead.
MICK HUCKNALL will be awarded ASCAP's Golden Note Award as he celebrates Simply Red's 40th anniversary.
He will be handed the honour – recognising extraordinary career milestones – at an American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers ceremony in London on June 17.
London singer and songwriter Lola Young will pick up the ASCAP Vanguard Award.
Mick, you're my hero.