ED SHEERAN marked the end of his record-breaking world tour by announcing he was saying goodbye — for now.
The singer and songwriter will take an extended break to spend time with childhood sweetheart and new wife Cherry Seaborn.
His decision echoes that of fellow music superstar Adele who is currently ducking out of the limelight.
Since March 2017 Sheeran, 28, has been playing his Divide tour to more than nine million fans.
At the emotional final gig in Chantry Park, Ipswich, on Monday Suffolk-born Sheeran said: “As you may or not know, I’ve been on the Divide tour for over two years now and this is the last day of the whole thing.
“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.
“We’ve played all around the world. Glastonbury, Wembley Stadium. All these amazing venues, America, New Zealand, Australia, Asia, South America — it’s been a wild one.
“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 that you’ve been with for years.
“It sounds odd but it has been a long tour.”
Sheeran had worn an Ipswich Town shirt but changed it and explained to fans: “This is a Framlingham Town football shirt. I am from Framlingham. Suffolk is my home. I am so happy to be ending this mammoth tour here.
“I want to say thank you to everyone on this tour. Thank you to everyone who has given me a chance. This is my last song. I wrote this when I was 15 years old. See you in a few years time. Thank you.”
His decision to take a step back is driven by his desire to spend more time at home and potentially start a family.
The Sun exclusively revealed he and Cherry wed in secret in December at his sprawling estate in Framlingham.
And he plans to hold an end-of-tour reception with a host of A-list pals in the coming weeks.
Sheeran blushed on stage as he talked about his new wife before singing Hearts Don’t Break Around Here, which he wrote for her.
He said: “If you read the paper you’ll know I married a girl from Suffolk recently. I wrote this record here. And the first bit of this song is about her. The second part is about Suffolk and my love for the both of them.”
Cherry has continued working in accountancy throughout Ed’s tour — meaning the pair have spent months apart.
But he has made no secret of his desire to have children live a normal life.
In June he said on his YouTube channel: “I’m starting a life with Cherry. I can’t spend the next 20 years on the road.
“Kids would be the different thing. I wouldn’t mind sacrificing for them.
“If someone told me you can’t tour again for the next ten years if you have kids that is fine, because that is what I have signed up for.
“I’ve already achieved more than I thought I would, so now I’m just trying to have fun.”
On stage on Monday, Sheeran referenced the sacrifice he had made, along with his large touring team.
He said: “For 893 days, although it is just me up here, there is a whole touring team behind me who gave up their lives and their families to come on the road. I just want to give them the love and respect they deserve.”
But he revealed he had already started thinking about his comeback. And he revealed it could see him joined by a band.
He said: “This is a weird one but it might be my last loop pedal tour gig ever.
“What I found with the loop station is, I’ve spent my whole life as a one-man performer.
“But this performance is all of you as well.”
Sheeran is currently dominating the charts again with tracks from his album Number 6 Collaborations Project, which he wrote on the road.
But his stratospheric rise brought on a crippling battle with anxiety and led him towards a life of excess.
He has told how had been forced to cull his friendship group down to just four people because he had struggled to work out who was genuine.
He explained: “I have social anxiety. I don’t like large groups of people, which is ironic given I play shows to thousands of people.”
Meanwhile his former music teacher has admitted today she had no idea he would make it so big. Claire Weston, 45, taught him for five years from when he was 13.
She said he would turn up at her door with his glasses stuck together with tape.
And she recalled: “His voice was already lovely but he seemed fairly standard. Did I think this person was going to be a superstar? That was not my initial reaction.
“The difference was Ed was already producing music. He had produced his own album. He had a special soul. He wanted to learn how to play the piano. He had a vision about how he wanted to express himself.
“He didn’t want to be famous, he just wanted to do music. He writes his own lyrics so people can relate to him.”
Claire added: “We did have a good friendship. He would play Xbox with my ex-partner and a window got cracked.
“For years my ex took the blame. I found out recently Ed had lost a game and the controller went flying.”
Gig town perfect
ED Sheeran told fans at his surprise farewell that he last played in Ipswich in 2014 — to a tiny crowd.
He said: “It was in a pub called The Steamboat to about 100 people, so to play four nights here in front of 40,000 from all around the world . . . ”
Back in 2006, when he was 15, he played from a lorry trailer to a handful at the town’s Moon and Mushroom Inn, left.
Source: Read Full Article
