Ed Sheeran’s wife was pregnant with their second child at the time she discovered she had cancer, and had to make the difficult decision to delay treatment until she’d welcomed daughter Jupiter into the world. The 32-year-old hitmaker relived the deeply emotional event tearfully in a new documentary, while he also revealed a song on his new album which is devoted to his late best friend, Jamal Edwards.
Ed has recorded a four-part documentary series, The Sum Of It All, which will debut on Disney+ on May 3.
In it, he gets the most candid he’s ever been on screen, and viewers will see him break down in tears.
The normally composed star opened up on the “fear, depression and anxiety” he experienced while wife Cherry was carrying their second daughter, during a trailer for the show.
Ed’s thoughts will be interspersed with never before seen video footage of the pair, along with a snippet from a concert when he cried onstage.
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The Shape Of You singer has admitted that initially the missing puzzle pieces in his life fell into place after meeting his wife.
“Everything in my life got so much better when Cherry came into it. I got married, I became a dad who has two daughters,” he reminisced proudly.
He later admitted that “loss just took over my life” when he was struggling to come to terms with fears of his wife’s mortality.
Cherry, who has since successfully given birth to a little girl they have christened Jupiter, also weighed in on his mental state, revealing: “I’ve never seen him cry onstage [before].
“He hasn’t had the time to process and be at peace with his thoughts,” she mused.
However, the video subsequently turned to the emotional highs in Ed’s life, seeing him celebrating his birthday with a huge grin on his face, and musing: “Life can be unpredictable.”
Meanwhile, the documentary series also addresses the painful loss he suffered when his best friend Jamal Edwards – the music producer who gave him his first big break in his career – died.
Jamal – the son of Loose Women star Brenda Edwards – also helped launch the careers of stars including Emeli Sande and Jessie J, but he is believed to have formed an especially close bond with Ed.
The singer revealed that the first single from his latest album, Subtract, was written in memory of Jamal, following his death by cardiac arrest, aged just 31.
He told his 42 million Instagram followers that Eyes Closed, which is due out later this week on March 24, was all about losing him.
“This song is about losing someone, feeling like every time you go out, you expect to just bump into them, and everything just reminds you of them and things you did together,” he explained.
“You sorta have to take yourself out of reality sometimes to numb the pain of loss, but certain things just bring you right back into it.”
Ed concluded: “Blue was Jamal’s colour, but now is all I feel.
“And I guess music helps heal, so I’m dancing with my eyes closed to try get through it x.”
Jamal had started out with no funding and little more than a £200 camcorder, but soon became a multimillionaire, and had even been honoured by Prince William with a MBA in 2014.
As he mourns the loss of his friend, Ed has Cherry and their daughters – Lyra, two, and Jupiter, ten months – by his side.