Ed Sheeran reveals he had shingles but is ‘on the mend’
By Carla Feric, Press Association Entertainment Reporter
Ed Sheeran has revealed he has had shingles for the last month, but added that he is “on the mend now”.
The 35-year-old pop star also announced that he has shaved his head, as he wanted to “signify a fresh start”.
The singer, known for hits including Lego House and Thinking Out Loud, revealed the news in a post to Instagram on Tuesday.
Sheeran shared a carousel of photos updating his 48.7 million followers about his recent life updates, with the cover photo revealing his new hairdo.
He wrote: “Yes, I’ve shaved my hair. I wanted to shave it to signify a fresh start. A lot of new beginnings in my life (at the moment). I love it, thinking of keeping it this way.”
Sheeran also told his fans he has been suffering from shingles, which is an infection which causes a painful rash.
He said: “I’ve had shingles for the last month, wouldn’t recommend it, but on the mend now.”
The disease includes symptoms such as a tingling feeling in an area of skin, headaches and feeling unwell, according to the NHS website.
In the post, the star also said he is “so excited” to perform more shows in South America as it has been “too long”, revealing upcoming dates for his Loop tour in Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Mexico and Chile.
Sheeran added that he is continuing the tour next month, having recently finished a run of gigs in Australia and New Zealand, and said he “can’t wait to get back cracking on that”.
The singer also told his fans he “finally” watched the final series of Netflix series Stranger Things, which reached its long-awaited conclusion earlier this year.
The post also featured snaps of Sheeran playing the guitar and listening to music, as well as an image of his Netflix page showing him catching up on the hit sci-fi series starring Millie Bobby Brown.
Sheeran also recommended Barbara Kingsolver’s popular novel Demon Copperhead to his followers, hailing the book as “brilliant”, and said that during his break from touring he has become interested in buying vinyl records.
The post was flooded with comments from fans and stars, including singer Myles Smith who joked about Sheeran’s new haircut and said: “Need a skin fade bruv.”
Singer-songwriter Sheeran is best known for his songs including The A Team, Perfect, Sing, and Don’t.
He has had 14 UK number one singles and nine UK number one albums, and his latest album, Play, was released in last September.