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ed's pain

Ed Sheeran reveals wife Cherry ‘had a tumour’ that could only be treated after birth of 2nd baby as he announces album

ED Sheeran has told how his wife had a tumour last year that could only be treated after the birth of their second child.

The singer, 32, revealed how a series of life changing events in February 2022 altered the course of his new album Subtract, which he announced will be out in May.

Ed Sheeran has revealed wife Cherry had a tumour last year
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Ed Sheeran has revealed wife Cherry had a tumour last yearCredit: Instagram/Ed Sheeran
Ed has struggled following the death of his best friend Jamal Edwards
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Ed has struggled following the death of his best friend Jamal Edwards

Ed explained:  “I had been working on Subtract for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be.

"Then at the start of 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music and art.

“Writing songs is my therapy. It helps me make sense of my feelings. I wrote without thought of what the songs would be, I just wrote whatever tumbled out.

"And in just over a week, I replaced a decade’s worth of work with my deepest darkest thoughts.

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“Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumour, with no route to treatment until after the birth.

“My best friend Jamal [Edwards], a brother to me, died suddenly and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter. I was spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety.

“I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air.”

Ed continued: “As an artist I didn’t feel like I could credibly put a body of work into the world that didn’t accurately represent where I am and how I need to express myself at this point in my life.

"This album is purely that. It’s opening the trapdoor into my soul. For the first time I’m not trying to craft an album people will like, I’m merely putting something out that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life.

“This is last February’s diary entry and my way of making sense of it. This is Subtract.”

Ed announced that he and Cherry had welcomed a second baby in secret in May of last year.

They are already parents to Lyra, two.

At the time he said: “I want to let you all know we’ve had another beautiful baby girl.

“We are both so in love with her, and over the moon to now be a family of four.”

Jamal Edwards, who is credited with boosting the careers of Ed and Rita Ora,  died aged 31 in February last year from a recreational drug overdose.

Subtract is set to be released on 5 May 2023 through Asylum/Atlantic.

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Fans guessed the title of the album this week after Ed dropped a huge hint on Intstagram.

It follows in a line of mathematically named albums - 2021's Equals, 2017's Divide, 2014's Multiply and 2011's Plus.

The couple are parents of two
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The couple are parents of twoCredit: Getty Images - Getty
Ed and Cherry revealed they had their second child last year
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Ed and Cherry revealed they had their second child last year
Ed's new album is set to be his most personal yet
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Ed's new album is set to be his most personal yet
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