Ed Sheeran has announced that he will take an “18 month” break from performing live after concluding his two-year Divide world tour, according to new reports.
Speaking at his fourth and final homecoming show at Chantry Park in Ipswich on Monday evening, Sheeran, 28, told the audience that he was feeling “emotional” about the upcoming hiatus, reports The Sun.
“As you may or may not know, I’ve been on the Divide tour for over two years now and this is the last day of the whole thing,” he is reported to have said.
“There is something very bittersweet about it. I love that you guys are here and we are ending it in Ipswich. This is my last gig for probably 18 months.”
“I was told before I came on that now at the end of this tour I’ve played to nine million people around the world. It is the biggest tour ever.
“It’s been an emotional day for a lot of people backstage. It kind of feels like, in a weird way, that you’re breaking up with a girlfriend you’ve been with for years. It sounds off but it has been a long tour.”
The singer then thanked “everyone on this tour” and “everyone who has given [him] a chance”, before telling fans: “See you in a few years’ time.”
Standard Online has contacted Sheeran’s representatives for further comment.
The musician confirmed in July that he had married long-term girlfriend Cherry Seaborn, after lyrics in Remember the Name, a track from his latest album No 6 Collaborations Project, made reference to his “wife".
Reports in February suggested that the couple had tied the knot in December in a low-key ceremony at their home in Suffolk, after announcing their engagement in January 2018.
