Fans of Ed Sheeran are getting to see a darker side of the British crooner in a teaser for his upcoming new docuseries. The Disney+ original, titled Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All, follows the 32-year-old dad of two through a incredibly difficult time in his life and even shows him sobbing in the back of his car in one particularly emotional moment.
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The four-part series follows Ed through some particularly low points in his life.
Ed hasn't had an easy road getting to where he is today, and he shares some of what he's been through, including how he struggled with the 2022 death of best friend Jamal Edwards, which was followed just one month later by the death of another close friend, cricketer Shane Warne. The singer can be seen breaking down into tears in his car while his wife, Cherry, explains that he hadn't had a chance to "process" or "be at peace with his thoughts."
According to Ed, the back-to-back losses made him feel like he was "drowning" and sent him into a depression as well as battling suicidal thoughts.
Ed also addressed his struggle with alcohol abuse.
In a new interview with Rolling Stone ahead of the docuseries' May 3 release, he shares an important message about how a wake-up call from his wife led him to make some major changes in his life, especially as it pertained to his drinking.
"Two months before Lyra was born, Cherry said, 'If my waters break, do you really want someone else to drive me to the hospital?'" he recounted. "Because I was just drinking a lot. And that's when it clicked. I was like, 'No, actually, I really don't.' And I don't ever want to be p—ed holding my kid. Ever, ever."
Although he's managed to keep his drinking in check over the years, Jamal's death made him change the way he views recreational drug use.
Jamal died after ingesting a combination of cocaine and alcohol, making Ed realize that although he still plans to drink socially, he'll never be tempted by the harder stuff again.
"I would never, ever, ever touch anything again because that's how Jamal died. And that's just disrespectful to his memory to even, like, go near it," he continued in his Rolling Stone interview.
The singer-songwriter also got candid about going to therapy.
Citing everything from the trauma of being bulled in high school to developing disordered eating after comparing himself to other stars including Justin Bieber and the One Direction guys, Ed explained that he now sees a counselor, even though it's still largely taboo where he's from.
"People think it's weird getting a therapist in England … I think it's very helpful to be able to speak with someone and just vent and not feel guilty about venting."
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The Sheeran family also has been dealing with Ed's wife's scary diagnosis.
The documentary undoubtedly also will cover the terrifying moments when a pregnant Cherry found out she had a tumor and how the couple waited anxiously until their youngest daughter, Jupiter, was born before Cherry could safely begin treatment.
We're glad to hear that Ed is actively working to find a way to recover from everything he's been through over the years. Hopefully by sharing his story he'll help reduce the stigma of realizing change is necessary and of asking for help.
