Ed Sheeran draws Victoria Beckham, David Beckham and kids to their FIRST Glastonbury after becoming Cruz Beckham’s pop mentor
NOT many people could convince Victoria Beckham to trudge through the mud in wellies at Glastonbury.
But Ed Sheeran is one of those unique celebrities even superstars want to become friends with... whatever it takes.
As a result, Ed’s Sunday night headlining slot on the Pyramid Stage will see David, Posh and the Beckham clan make their first pilgrimage to Worthy Farm.
The couple became close friends with Ed and his adorable girlfriend Cherry Seaborn — a school friend from Suffolk — after meeting the pair on a night out in New York.
Speaking for the first time about their friendship, Ed reveals how he has become a pop music mentor to 12-year-old Cruz Beckham, who is launching his own music career.
In an exclusive interview at a special Sun Gig in Cannes, where Ed was performing, he says: “Yeah, we really are genuine friends now.
“It started off when me and Cherry went out with David and Victoria.
“Then I went and spent a while chatting to Cruz about his music and teaching him how to write a song.
“We live really close to each other in London. I obviously grew up loving both of them so it’s a bit surreal for me.
“But they’re a really sweet family, really nice and do a lot for people.
“They’re very, very charitable and hard-working, and I don’t think that comes across enough.”
My first thought is about how Victoria will cope in the unhygienic festival conditions of Glasto.
Ed smiles, then says: “I don’t think it’s going to be muddy this year though, it’s really hot.
I will 100 per cent do Strictly Come Dancing one day. I think something like I’m a Celebrity would be fun, too
“Mate, if she’s never been before, she’ll have a great time.”
Ed is hosting an after-party for the Beckhams, actress pal Saoirse Ronan and a huge contingent of friends and family.
He explains: “I’m not leaving the site. I get given a compound behind the Pyramid Stage.
“It’s essentially going to be like a wedding reception because it’s basically every member of my family together at once.
“It’s going to be really, really nice to catch up.
“And I’ve got my 12 closest school mates and all of their partners.
"I really enjoy sharing everything with my school mates.
"We go on holiday twice a year together and that’s kind of the only time that I see them.
“So to be able to spend a moment like this with them is going to be pretty cool.”
Ed, who is planning to pack his set with hits, is taking the biggest gig of his massive career very seriously.
He says: “I’ll warm up for Glastonbury. I’ve never ever warmed up but I don’t want to take any risks — and it’s live on TV.
“I’m putting in songs that I don’t usually play.
“Glastonbury will only want to hear a set list of well-known songs.”
Ed’s Glasto performance tops off another extraordinary week for the Thinking Out Loud singer, who has just been awarded an MBE — an honour he instantly decided to accept because of his late grandfather.
Ed Sheeran on...
...Strictly: "I'll 100 per cent do Strictly Come Dancing one day."
...Glastonbury: "I'm putting in songs that I don't usually play."
...MBE: "My grandad was a huge royalist. I wish he'd seen it."
...babies: "I just get broody at seeing kids, so yeah, definitely."
...Helen Mirren: "I've always loved her. If we could do a love scene..."
He explains: “My grandad was a huge royalist, he had painted plates of all the Royal Family.
“He passed away a couple of years ago and as soon as I got it I thought, ‘I wish my grandad had seen that’.
Ed is also working on a Love Actually-style film, which he will shoot in 2019 — and he wants Helen Mirren as his leading lady.
I always loved Helen Mirren. Yeah, if me and Helen could do a love scene...
He says: “I always loved Helen. Yeah, if me and Helen could do a love scene. That sounds weird, doesn’t it? I’m not a good actor and she’s a very good actress so I don’t think she’ll want to do it.”
Ed is also working on the soundtrack to the movie and his highly anticipated fourth album.
These will follow the unprecedented success of Ed’s third album, Divide, which saw him dominate the charts in a way no artist ever has, with nine out of the top ten singles.
Ed says: “I think it’s an anomaly that will happen every now and then. I don’t think they need to change anything.
“It hasn’t happened since then and it will probably happen when Taylor Swift puts out an album.
“And probably with Adele, Eminem and Bieber.
“Maybe you should nominate what singles off your album should be eligible — that’s the way it should happen.”
Ed remains resolutely humble. I meet a heck of a lot of A-listers and can genuinely say he is the most naturally down-to-earth of them all.
Despite his £51million fortune, he refuses to take financial security for granted and watches his lifestyle.
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Ed explains: “You can always be ill-advised and things can always go wrong. I never know what’s going to happen in the future. I’m trying to be sensible.
“I don’t have a very lavish lifestyle, so I’m cool, man. I’ve sorted my parents, sorted my family, sorted myself, do stuff for charity. I don’t really need much more.”
Ed is even keen to join a TV reality show in the future, something he most certainly doesn’t need to do.
He says: “I will 100 per cent do Strictly Come Dancing one day. I think something like I’m a Celebrity would be fun, too.”
Ed’s single Castle on the Hill, about his old school friends from Suffolk, has become a 2017 anthem, but do the people he sings about know the songs are about them?
He replies: “The ones that are about my close mates, they do, but there are some about people I grew up with that I don’t think they do.
“But the guy who I was running from the law through the back fields with, he’s the guy that also works down by the coast.
"He just got some news that he’s having a kid, so we went out and kind of had a boys’ weekend. I told him then and he was surprised.”
That situation has made Ed consider a family of his own.
“I just get broody at seeing kids, so yeah definitely,” he says.
Ed’s forthcoming release will be the beautiful ballad Perfect he wrote for girlfriend Cherry, and he’s looking forward to doing the video.
Would Cherry ever star in the video? “No,” he replies swiftly.
“People don’t really know anything about her. But I think if you open up your world to that, you can’t control it. So I think it’s good to just separate the two.
“If I ever pretend to be something I’m not, I’ll get caught out.”
It’s that trademark honesty that has made Ed the biggest male singer in the world.