Ellie Goulding says she was ‘made to feel like a terrible person’ over Ed Sheeran rumours
British artist described how she became ‘reclusive’ during the speculation sparked by Sheeran’s hit single ‘Don’t’ in 2014
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ellie Goulding says the false rumours that she cheated on Ed Sheeran with fellow pop star Niall Horan caused her “a lot of trauma”.
In 2014, Sheeran released his song “Don’t”, which called out a former flame for sleeping with another singer while they were also involved.
Lyrics include the lines: “It’s not like we were both on tour/ We were staying on the same f***ing hotel floor/ And I wasn’t looking for a promise or commitment/ But it was never just fun and I thought you were different.”
The track prompted widespread speculation as to who Sheeran was referring to, with fans accusing Goulding of cheating on him with Horan, then a member of One Direction.
Speaking to You magazine in the Mail on Sunday, Goulding said it was “fascinating” to her that people were still interested in the rumours.
‘It’s manipulative’: Parents defend girl who ‘politely’ turned down classmate’s Valentine’s Day request
Harry and Meghan’s US approval rating drops below Prince Andrew’s after South Park episode
‘If he met me sooner, he’d have been arrested’: Age gap couple go viral after sharing controversial romance
“It's fascinating how many people are interested in that. It happened nine years ago,” she told the outlet. “You know, completely honestly, it caused me a lot of trauma, actually.”
“I envy the fact that my friends just spent their twenties having flings and one-night stands and what every 20-something goes through in private. But every single thing I did was written about,” she said. “I was made to feel like a terrible person and I really struggled with that because I know I'm not.”
In the same interview, Goulding said she can laugh about it now, but at the time she became “kind of reclusive” in response to the media and public speculation.
She admitted she was “really drunk” when she replied to a TikTok user who commented on a video of her dancing to Harry Styles: “Can't believe u cheated on Ed with Niall, but slay fr (for real).”
Goulding responded: “False!!!!! But also slay.”
“I can laugh about it now but it changed things for me,” she said. “I became kind of reclusive. I didn't want to perform. That's why I wrote that comment because every day I get comments about this stupid teenage situation. It was nothing and it was private – and it caused me such a huge amount of grief and I resent it.”
She confirmed that she and Sheeran are on good terms. “It is in the past and we're friends. We're adults,” she said.
Goulding has also spoken highly of Horan, whom she briefly dated, previously calling him a “lovely guy” with a “brilliant sense of humour”.
She married Caspar Jopling in 2019 and gave birth to their first child, son Arthur, in April 2021.
Goulding will release her fifth album, Higher Than Heaven, on 24 March.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments