Ed Sheeran is opening up about the terrifying moment he learned his wife, Cherry Seaborn, had cancer, and how she’s doing today.
Speaking on the March 10 episode of the Friends Keep Secrets podcast with Benny Blanco, Lil Dicky and Kristin Batalucco, the Grammy winner was asked to name the best and worst days of his life.
The best, Sheeran said, was his 2019 wedding to Seaborn — with whom he shares two daughters: Lyra, 5, and Jupiter, 3. But the worst came in February 2022, when “Cherry rung me up and said she had cancer.”
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Ed Sheeran and Cherry Seaborn during The BRIT Awards on Feb. 8, 2022 in London, England.JMEnternational/Getty
Seaborn, 33, was diagnosed with a tumor while six months pregnant with Jupiter. Doctors initially told the pair the tumor couldn’t be operated on until after she gave birth, leaving them to navigate the pregnancy while waiting for surgery.
When asked how Seaborn is doing now, Sheeran, 35, said she has since recovered following surgery after Jupiter’s birth.
“She’s fine, she had the operation,” he said. “She was pregnant at the time. That’s why it was difficult. She had the operation to remove the tumor after the birth of our second child. And thankfully — touch wood — totally fine.”
“It was f—ing scary,” he added.
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Ed Sheeran performs during The BRIT Awards on Feb. 8, 2022 in London, England.Karwai Tang/WireImage
At the time, Sheeran was also grappling with the death of close friend Jamal Edwards, the music entrepreneur who helped launch his career, and the sudden death of cricket legend Shane Warne. He was also preparing to defend himself in a high-profile copyright infringement lawsuit over his 2017 hit “Shape of You,” which he ultimately won.
“That was probably the worst week because Jamal died that week as well, and then we went straight into a court case. Oh, and then Shane died, first day of the court case.”
Looking back, Sheeran said the perspective-shifting moment changed how he viewed the lawsuit that had loomed over him for years.
“Being in the court case though — which, like, everything was building to that for like, eight years,” he said. “And then suddenly when you’re in the courtroom, it didn’t really matter. So I had built it up in my mind and then because of all of those actual heavy life things had happened, when I was in the courtroom I was like, ‘I don’t actually care about the outcome of this.’ Because it’s so small compared.”
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Ed Sheeran and Cherry Seaborn during the Sky Bet Championship match between Ipswich Town and Aston Villa at Portman Road on April 21, 2018 in Ipswich, England.Stephen Pond/Getty
The singer first publicly revealed Seaborn’s diagnosis in his 2023 Disney+ documentary Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All. In the film, Seaborn explained why she ultimately agreed to appear on camera despite typically avoiding the spotlight.
“I got diagnosed with cancer at the start of the year which was a massive s–ter,” she said. “It made me massively reflect on our mortality. I would never agree to do anything like this but it made me think, ‘Oh if I died, what’s people’s perception of me? What do you leave behind?’ “
Sheeran became emotional in the documentary while reflecting on the experience. “It was horrible,” he said.
Songwriting became a way for Sheeran to process the fear and uncertainty surrounding her diagnosis. He wrote seven songs in four hours after learning the news.
“When something really intense happens to him, he writes a song,” Seaborn said.
In a 2023 cover story with Rolling Stone, Sheeran also opened up about the mental health struggles he experienced during that time. “There’s nothing you can do about it. You feel so powerless,” he said.
Amid the stress and grief he was experiencing, Sheeran said he began feeling like he “didn’t want to live anymore.”
“And I have had that throughout my life.… You’re under the waves drowning. You’re just sort of in this thing. And you can’t get out of it,” he said, admitting he felt shame about those feelings.
Sheeran said the emotions felt “selfish,” adding, “especially as a father. I feel really embarrassed about it.”
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