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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Rachel McGrath

Ed Sheeran unveils muscular transformation and the reason for his lifestyle overhaul

Ed Sheeran has unveiled a muscular transformation, revealing how becoming a dad changed his outlook on health and fitness.

The “Shape of You” singer has told Men’s Health UK that fitness “just sort of became something that really added to my life”.

“I think, underneath it all, I am a pizza-eating, beer-guzzling smoker, but that’s just not my reality as a parent in my thirties,” the 34-year-old continued. “I think that you have to make good decisions.

“I’d never run more than a kilometre and did my first 10K during Covid – stuff like that, building up to that, it just makes you feel better.

“And I think that in my thirties, that’s where I’m at. I’m not saying I’m done with enjoying myself, I still drink. I love red wine, I love a nice meal, but it’s not every day.”

Sheeran said he has lost over 14kg in recent years, largely thanks to overhauling his diet and adding reformer pilates, weights and running to his routine.

Sheeran says staying fit has become a priority in recent years (Patrik Giardino/Men’s Health)

The singer decided to change his lifestyle following the birth of his eldest daughter Lyra, who he welcomed with wife Cherry Seaborn in 2020. The couple also have another daughter, named Jupiter, born in 2022.

“I remember Lyra was two weeks old and I had my best mate round and we had a bottle of wine,” he said. “I went to bed, then Lyra woke up 20 minutes after I’d fallen asleep.

“I woke up and I was like, ‘F*ck, I probably shouldn’t drink if I’m going to feel this dreadful’. I want to be able to do the night stuff.”

Sheeran on the cover of Men’s Health UK (Patrik Giardino/Men’s Health)

Sheeran released his eighth studio album, Play, in September and the record, which marks the start of a new era for the star, went straight to number one in the albums chart.

He marked the release with a series of more intimate shows in the UK and Europe and will head off on another mammoth world tour in support of the album next year.

Sheeran and his wife Cherry Seaborn became parents in 2020 (Getty Images)

The Loop Tour comes after Sheeran was recently named one of the top touring artists of the new millennium.

Concert trade publication Pollstar unveiled its ranking after analysing tour sales from the past two decades, which revealed Sheeran has shifted a whopping 19.6 million tickets since rising to fame in the early 2010s.

The star came in third place, behind Coldplay and U2.

Read Ed Sheeran’s full Men’s Health UK interview here.

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