The singer shocked fans by revealing that 30-year-old Cherry Seaborn discovered a tumor while pregnant with their second child Jupiter last May, adding that she could not seek treatment until after the baby was born.
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But The Sun can reveal that she is now on the mend and the pair are trying to put the traumatic experience behind them.
An insider said: “It’s been an incredibly tough time for Cherry and Ed. The tumor came as a huge shock and the fact that they couldn’t operate right away was extremely worrying and scary.
“However, after Jupiter arrived safely, Cherry has now received the necessary treatment and is recovering well. They both hope it will be a much better 2023.”
The release of Ed’s new album, Subtract, marks the conclusion of his ‘mathematical era’ of records, which began with Plus in 2011 and continued with Multiply in 2014, Divide in 2017 and Equals in 2021.
The 32-year-old’s latest album, scheduled for release on May 5, will be his most personal after his wife’s health scare plus the shock death of close friend Jamal Edwards.
Music entrepreneur Jamal, who gave Ed his first big break, died last February of a heart attack at age 31 after taking cocaine.
While writing the album, Suffolk-born Ed also faced a three-week copyright lawsuit over claims he had plagiarized his hit song Shape Of You.
‘Darkest Thoughts’
Although he eventually won, Ed and his co-author, Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid, said the case had put “extraordinary pressure” on them.
Writing to fans on Instagram yesterday, Ed explained how he replaced “a decade’s worth of material” for Subtract with new songs he wrote as therapy for the most trying time of his life.
He said: “I had been working on Subtract for ten years, 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, in early 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I looked at music and art.
He continued: “I wrote without thinking about what the songs would be, I just wrote what tumbled out.
“And in just over a week, I replaced ten years of work with my deepest, darkest thoughts.
“Within a month, my pregnant wife was diagnosed with a tumor, with no treatment until after birth.
“My best friend Jamal, a brother of mine, died suddenly and I was in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter.
“I was writhing through anxiety, depression, and anxiety.”
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He explained how the events of the past year affected his mental health, adding: “I felt like I was drowning, with my head submerged, looking up but unable to break through for air.
“As an artist, I didn’t feel I could credibly put out a body of work that didn’t accurately reflect where I am and how I should be expressing myself at this point in my life.
“This album is just that. It opens the hatch to my soul.
“For the first time, I’m not trying to make an album that people will like, I’m just putting out something that’s honest and true to where I am in my adult life. This is the diary entry from last February and my way of making sense of it. This is Jerk Off.”
Ed started making the album with American songwriter Aaron Dessner of The National in February last year.
The pair, who were introduced by Ed’s friend Taylor Swift, wrote more than 30 songs during a month-long studio stint.
Fourteen made it to the final album, many of which received the major orchestral treatment.
Songs titled Eyes Closed, Life Goes On and End Of Youth refer to his troubles, as well as his father of two.
Ed has also revealed he will be touring again, announcing a series of arena shows across the UK and Europe.
He will play against Manchester, London, Glasgow, Dublin and Paris in March and April this year.
Ed also toured last year, shortly after revealing in May that he had become a father for the second time.
Both Ed and Cherry, who also share two-year-old Lyra, kept her pregnancy a secret for the entire nine months.
Ed revealed his baby news to his millions of social media followers, sharing a photo of Jupiter’s baby booties in an incubator.
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He gushed: “I just want to let you all know that we just got another beautiful baby girl. We are both so in love with her, and overjoyed to be a family of four now.”
Seven months earlier, Ed spoke exclusively to The Sun about his old health struggles, namely how his weight exploded after finishing a world tour and how becoming a father inspired him to rethink his lifestyle.
ED’S TOUR DATES
THURSDAY, MARCH 23: MANCHESTER, AO Arena
FRI & SAT 24 & 25 MARCH: LONDON, The O2
TUESDAY 28 MARCH: GLASGOW, OVO Hydro
THURSDAY, MARCH 30: DUBLIN, 3Arena
SUN 2 APRIL: PARIS Accor Arena
He said: “Since I became a father, I live quite cleanly.
“But I think taking time off and not being on tour was the worst thing for my health because I would be drinking every day. I stopped three months before Lyra was born because I was determined that I would be the one to take my wife to the hospital.
“I was 15 and a half stone at my peak and I think I’m ten and a half now. I always knew I was big, but I also knew why I was big – I liked chicken wings, wine, beer, and I never played sports.
“I still do all the things I like. I had wine yesterday, I just didn’t drink two bottles of it. I also never want to ‘cancel’ anything.’
He added: “When Cherry was pregnant, the penny dropped. Lyra has been the biggest motivation in detoxing my life.”
However, there is a good chance that he will open the bubbles again when the album sales figures become known.
TECH TO END TOUTS
Ed will not only conquer the charts, but will crack down on touts in the coming months.
After announcing a surprise UK and European outing yesterday, the charts ramped up its crusade against secondary ticketing sites by revealing that the tour will use special mobile digital ticketing technology to ensure tickets don’t fall into the wrong hands.
The technology will prevent unofficial secondary ticket sites and unofficial sellers from inflating prices and ripping off its fans. Those who have tickets but are unable to attend the shows will have the opportunity to sell them to other fans at the price they paid (plus booking fees) through the official fan-to-fan, nominal resale platform at the place where they purchased the tickets. bought tickets. tickets.
The move comes after two internet ticket touts, jailed for fraud in 2020, were ordered to pay £6 million after profiting from the resale of concert tickets, including those to see Ed.
Find full tour information at edsheeran.com.