Sheeran fan flies 3,000 miles to sing at castle
Benoit Plamondon has flown to the UK from his home in Quebec City, where he believes he is Canada's only Sheeran tribute act.
Mr Plamondon is staying with his friend Hayley Judge, from south London, who claims to be the UK's only female Sheeran tribute act.
The pair travelled to Framlingham Castle in Suffolk, which Sheeran wrote about in his song Castle on the Hill, where they filmed their own videos and performed his songs.
"I knew him from the songs on the radio," Mr Plamondon said of how he discovered Sheeran.
"As soon as I saw a video of Shape of You live with the looper, I told myself I need that thing.
"Then I bought the single looper, the dual looper, so Ed Sheeran, you've cost me an arm and a leg."
The two musicians met online a few years ago through their love of Sheeran and would regularly chat on FaceTime.
Ms Judge, accompanied with a sign that read Welcome Mr Sheeran, picked Mr Plamondon up from the airport which was when the pair met in person for the first time.
On Tuesday they took a visit to Framlingham Castle.
"I feel like I'm in the songs now, it's amazing, we can understand everything, we can feel it," Mr Plamondon said of the area.
"I need to shake his hand and just say, 'Thanks man, you've made me a better performer', I need to see him one day."
Ms Judge agreed it was a "special" place and felt "unreal", with both agreeing Sheeran's essence could be felt.
Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
More on Ed Sheeran
'It was electrifying': Fans give verdict on Ed Sheeran homecoming
Fans camp out overnight ahead of Ed Sheeran gigs
Ipswich shops turn pink to welcome Ed Sheeran home
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Epoch Times
3 hours ago
- Epoch Times
‘The Peculiar Gift of July': Solace at the Corner of Nowhere
'The Peculiar Gift of July' by Ashley Ream is a charming story that's part soap opera and part vacation on the page. It features a delightful cast of small-town characters who are stuck in ruts, either of their own choosing or due to tragic circumstances. Some of them are even pretty close to losing it all. When a young orphan girl who may have mild precognitive abilities gets added to the mix, things might unravel even quicker or, just maybe, finally start to get better. The Oddments of Ebey's The story takes place in a town called Ebey's End, 'a green speck of an island so far north and west of the Northwest' that folks are in danger of learning the metric system and the Canadian national anthem. It's also known for 'oddments' washing up on shore—notable items of flotsam and jetsam.
Cosmopolitan
7 hours ago
- Cosmopolitan
12 Best Friendship Apps That Can Help You Meet New People
Making friends as an adult? Weirdly hard. Like, harder than deciding if you should get bangs. Once you're out of school and not bonding over dorm floor bathrooms or bottomless brunch hangovers every weekend, figuring out how to meet new people feels confusing at best and borderline impossible at worst. Which is where friendship apps come in to save the day—and your social life. Think of them as the dating apps of your platonic dreams: low-lift, swipe-friendly, and full of future BFF potential. 'The fact that these apps even exist says a lot about the very real challenges many people face in making new friends,' says psychotherapist and relationship specialist Stevie Blum, LCSW. 'Just downloading a friendship app and seeing how many people are also looking to connect can be surprisingly comforting.' Before you start doubting the effectiveness of an app to find friends, let me just stop your almost-spiral. 'Friendships are a vital part of emotional and mental well-being, and can even impact your physical health,' explains Blum. 'But as we get older, those built-in opportunities start to fade. Friendships can feel harder to maintain or even awkward to build from scratch, so people often let them slide.' But that need for a support system and someone to grab dinner with on a casual Thursday? Yeah, that never goes away. That's why friendship apps are so clutch IRL—Blum says using them can def make the whole process easier. You already know everyone there is open to making new connections, and not only can you narrow down the pool of people based on things like interests, but you can also find folks who live near you, so you don't have to schlep across town for a quick hang. (Before meeting up with someone IRL, though, Blum suggests picking a public location and letting someone else know where you're going. Safety first always!) So, whether you just moved to a new city and are looking to build a whole new friend group, just went through a friend breakup (it happens!), or simply want someone to text during Love Island, we've got you. These friendship apps are here to help you make real, solid connections. Now let's go find you a platonic soul mate! Many friendship apps have similar features to dating apps (making a profile, swiping on others, private messaging, etc.) but what makes Yubo unique is its catfish-free video chat feature. When you connect with someone, you can chat via live video from the app (like FaceTime, but without having to give out your phone number). This a) ensures the person you're talking to is *actually* who they say they are, and b) might help alleviate some of those first-time meetup jitters if you've already seen their face. Download Here Right this way, extroverts, because this talk-based app is about to become your new obsession. Instead of just the standard DM-style messaging seen in most apps, LMK has a variety of ways to connect with people, like voice chats for example. You can instantly call or chat with folks (whether 1-on-1 or in a group) who have the same interests as you, so if you're in the mood to just gab, there's no sitting around and waiting for a match. Plus, once you're in a voice chat, there's a timer that'll end the call unless you choose to extend it, so no awkward goodbyes if you're just not clicking. Download Here If you've ever used Bumble for dating, Bumble BFF is literally the same concept, just for platonic friends. You still make a profile with a few photos, add a quick bio, and then swipe right on your faves. The main difference is that the timer to start a conversation isn't gendered, so it's on either of you to make the first move before the match expires. Download here WINK is another app that lets users swipe left or right on profiles they feel match best with their interests. You can select the gender and age range of people you want to connect with and add your interests so matches have at least one favorite activity in common with you. Chat directly on the app or move the conversation to Snapchat for something a little more private. It's like Tinder for friends. (You knew we were going to say it, didn't you?) Download here Hey! VINA is a friendship app built just for women looking to connect with like-minded ladies. Whether you're starting a new job, moving to a new city, or just feeling like your social circle could use a refresh, VINA matches you with potential besties based on shared interests, activities, and even your current life stage—because who you vibe with during a breakup might be totally different from who you need during a career pivot. Making friends who share your interests is tricky for everyone, but oftentimes it's even harder for people in the kink, queer, sex-positive, and BDSM communities. Enter: Plura (formerly Bloom). The community-based lifestyle app was created to help people meet and connect with others in a safe and monitored space. Not only can you chat and connect like with other apps, but Bloom actually hosts tons of events, festivals, and meetups so you can connect IRL at an activity that feels more on brand than just coffee and small talk. Download Here Peanut is an app for moms to meet other moms, founded by Michelle Kennedy, who worked at the dating app Badoo before giving birth in 2013. She described feeling very isolated as a new mother and wanted to find people who understood what she was going through. Since postpartum depression can make women feel especially alone, it's great to have an app where you can connect with someone navigating the same, sometimes-messy, emotional terrain as you are. Download here If you're particularly in need of marathon buddies or tennis opponents, look no further. ATLETO is all about helping you find people based on your favorite sports, and encouraging you to host events and meet up IRL. And honestly, jogging or cycling together is pretty low-key when it comes to first conversations with someone. Download here If you have more specific interests, like knitting at a bar or being a part of a writing group, Meetup probably has something you're looking for. You simply enter your location and browse events by category. Voila! You'll find your crew in no time. Download here Simply need to get something off your chest? Friended lets you share your random thoughts in a controlled environment, allowing other users to reply or send encouragements to you privately. The point is to exchange niceties that should hopefully tumble into something more, or at the very least help you feel less alone. Who doesn't love getting their feelings validated by strangers? Yes, you'll still be clinging to your phone when you're out in public, but at least there'll be someone sweet on the other side of it. Download here Skout has been around since 2007, so they've been in the friendship (and dating!) app game for a long time. It's pretty simple: You use it to connect with people wherever you go, which seems particularly handy if you're traveling alone and want to grab a pint with someone... or even hook up. That's the thing with this app: you can use it to ~scout~ (heh) whatever it is you're looking for. Download here If you've moved to a new neighborhood and find it hard to connect with new people (a definite suburb problem), Nextdoor lets you know everything that's happening nearby—from yard sales to babysitting gigs. It's not as straightforward as "Hey, I'm looking for friends!" but in a way, it can feel like a more natural integration into your community. Download here
Elle
8 hours ago
- Elle
Katy Perry's Complete Dating History
Pop star Katy Perry has had a prolific career as a musical artist, with a discography so iconic it even took her to outer space. On earth, she's also made quite a few conquests. Perry has had some very high-profile romances throughout the 2000s, with love affairs that inspired her own music as well as the music of others (ahem, John Mayer). And recently, she was seen out with Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau, expanding her romantic reach into politics. Read all about this artist and muse below. Here's Perry's complete dating history so far. Actor Johnny Lewis was known for his roles on The O.C. and Sons of Anarchy and for dating Perry for about 18 months in 2006. It was before Perry's career really took off, leaving their relationship fairly unreported. Lewis died in Los Angeles in 2012. Perry dated the lead singer of the popular band Gym Class Heroes, Travie McCoy, in 2008 into 2009. She broke up with him after less than a year, apparently via email. In 2012, McCoy shared that his drug use likely contributed to the break up, but he added that the email 'destroyed him.' 'It started off with "I love you so much I hate to do this,"' he said. 'Someone that you are ready to spend the rest of your life with sends you a fucking email just shitting on your whole parade. It destroyed me.' After McCoy, Perry had another fling with musical artist Josh Groban. They broke up and remained friends. He was supposedly surprised when she later wrote a song about him titled 'The One That Got Away.' On Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, he was asked about being her muse and replied, 'We did [date]. We were both very private, and so we realized we were better as friends. And we've been very, very good friends to this day. She's the best. But, I was not expecting that. That was a double take and a spit out my coffee when I saw that.' Perry met comedian Russell Brand at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. They got married in 2010 and then divorced a little over a year later. Perry told Vogue in 2013, 'At first when I met him, he wanted an equal, and I think a lot of times strong men do want an equal, but then they get that equal and they're like, "I can't handle the equalness." He didn't like the atmosphere of me being the boss on tour. So that was really hurtful, and it was very controlling, which was upsetting. Let's just say I haven't heard from him since he texted me saying he was divorcing me December 31, 2011.' In 2012, E! reported that Perry was seen holding hands at Coachella with the Florence and the Machine guitarist Robert Ackroyd, but there's no account of why their relationship ended. Perry and musician John Mayer dated off-and-on from around 2012 to about 2015. However, it was reported as early as 2010 that Mayer had been trying to hook up with Perry, and they even met for what sounds like a date just before she ended up with Brand. They broke up for the first time in 2013, and a source told E! at the time, 'John still very much loves [Katy] and has feelings for her. It was just going to be too much with what was on his plate.' In March 2013, she told ELLE U.K., 'I realized I could lose the person I loved, and I had to deal with some things, issues I think a lot of women have. You can be strong in one aspect of your life but submissive in another. In relationships, it was hard for me to speak up and set boundaries. I think a lot of that was to do with the fear of loss.' She added, 'I think a lot of that was to do with the fear of loss. The men I have gone for are challenging, yes, but they're also wildly intelligent and poetic. I'm not interested in taming anyone. I'm pretty wild myself.' That June, Perry told Vogue, 'I was madly in love with him. I still am madly in love with him. All I can say about that relationship is that he's got a beautiful mind. Beautiful mind, tortured soul. I do have to figure out why I am attracted to these broken birds.' Mayer got the message, because they were dating again by the end of that month. Over the next few years, there were lots of reports about them breaking up and getting back together, with sightings as late as July 2015. But they ultimately split for good that year. In a 2017 interview with the New York Times, Mayer admitted his song 'Still Feel Like Your Man' is about Perry, saying, 'Who else would I be thinking about? And by the way, it's a testament to the fact that I have not dated a lot of people in the last five, six years. That was my only relationship. So it's like, give me this, people.' In April 2014, during one of her off periods with Mayer, Perry was linked to Diplo. They were seen at Coachella together that month, but it was a brief fling. In 2017, she ranked him as her third best celebrity lover during a James Corden interview (after John Mayer and Orlando Bloom), to which he tweeted, 'I don't even remember having sex.' Perry and Bloom were first noted as being flirty friends at the 2016 Golden Globe Awards, though they had met years earlier. They dated for about a year before splitting up in February 2017, releasing a statement to People saying, 'Before rumors or falsifications get out of hand, we can confirm that Orlando and Katy are taking respectful, loving space at this time.' They remained friends, which Perry passionately tweeted about that same year. Friendship blossomed again into something more, and they reconciled in 2018. A source told People in March that year, 'They are dating but not necessarily putting a label on it. They are not girlfriend and boyfriend. They do seem very happy together though.' In 2019, on Valentine's Day, they got engaged. And in August 2020, they welcomed their daughter, Daisy Dove. In 2024, Perry opened up in a Call Her Daddy interview about why it took them so long to settle into a relationship, saying, 'We weren't really in it from day one. He was because he had just done a huge time of celibacy, and he had set intentions. I was fresh out of a relationship, and I was like, I can't do this anymore. I need to swim in a different pond, but I had to do a lot real work.' She added, 'He wasn't playing that cat-mouse game anymore. I was like, "This is boring. I'm moving on." I was so used to this push-pull. I was playing games.' The couple made their last public appearance at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in March 2025, and rumors began circulating that they had split again. In June 2025, a source told Us Weekly, 'Katy and Orlando have split, but are amicable. It's not contentious at the moment. Katy is of course upset but is relieved to not have to go through another divorce, as that was the worst time in her life.' The insider added that the breakup was 'a long time coming,' and that they had been living apart since Perry went on tour, because things 'have been tense for months.' The former couple released a statement on July 3 to People, reading: 'Due to the abundance of recent interest and conversation surrounding Orlando Bloom and Katy Perry's relationship, representatives have confirmed that Orlando and Katy have been shifting their relationship over the past many months to focus on co-parenting. They will continue to be seen together as a family, as their shared priority is—and always will be—raising their daughter with love, stability, and mutual respect.' In July 2025, TMZ reported that Perry had been seen on what looked like a dinner date with politician Justin Trudeau. The former Canadian prime minister was with the pop star at Le Violon, in Montreal, on July 28. They were also seen together in Mount Royal Park before dinner, then got drinks after the meal at Taverne Atlantic. Perry's tour is currently taking her through Canada. Trudeau separated from his former wife, Sophie, in 2023. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE. Aimée Lutkin is the weekend editor at Her writing has appeared in Jezebel, Glamour, Marie Claire and more. Her first book, The Lonely Hunter, will be released by Dial Press in February 2022.
