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Ed Sheeran shows off his ripped abs on the cover of Men’s Health UKThe singer, 34, told the outlet that he wanted “to be a responsible dad” when his daughter Lyra was born in 2020He does Pilates, runs, and lifts weights to stay in shape, but says his health philosophy centers around “moderation”
Ed Sheeran has transformed his body — and his lifestyle — since becoming a dad, ditching post-show pints for Pilates, the singer tells Men’s Health UK.
The “Shape of You” singer, 34, showed off his ripped figure in a shirtless cover of Men’s Health UK, telling the fitness mag that a turning point came when his first daughter Lyra, now 5, was just two weeks old. “I had my best mate round and we had a bottle of wine. I went to bed, then Lyra woke up 20 minutes after I’d fallen asleep. I woke up and I was like, “F—, I probably shouldn’t drink if I’m going to feel this dreadful,” he said.
As Sheeran, who shares Lyra and daughter Jupiter, 3, with wife Cherry Seaborn, tells Men’s Health UK, “I want to be able to do the night stuff. It all came in at the same time of wanting to be a responsible dad, wanting to feel and look good.”
Ed Sheeran shared the exercises he does on the road.
Patrik Giardino / Men’s Health
In the five years since welcoming Lyra, Sheeran has lost 30 lbs. thanks to Pilates, weight training, running, and heading straight back to his hotel room for dinner and a massage after a show instead of hitting the pubs.
“I can be a guy who can be led quite easily and if I finish a gig and my mates are there, I could go out,” Sheeran tells the outlet. “So actually having to be in my hotel room… I get the massage and, as soon as the massage is done, I need to go to bed. So it’s great for maintaining my voice, maintaining energy and keeping healthy.”
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His exercise journey began by walking on a treadmill and answering emails during COVID, and then he and his wife began doing Zoom workouts with personal trainer Ali Thomas.
On tour, he said, his go-to workout is on the Pilates reformer. He explained that the day after a show, “the last thing I want to do today is bench press and deadlift, so this is a really gentle way to still have the same level of exercise and feel like I’ve burnt calories, but I’ve also stretched.”
He shared that he recently rewatched footage of himself from 2015 in the video Jumpers for Goalposts: Live at Wembley Stadium, which documented his historic run of shows at the iconic London venue.
“Each morning I’m getting interviewed and they’re like, ‘How was last night?’ And I was like, ‘Oh, I was out until 6 a.m. doing tequila shots and smoking cigarettes with this person and doing this and that.’ Then I’d play a show and it was that seven days a week. But when you watch it and you look at me now, I look 40 in that and I look 24 now.”
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Sheeran described his journey in his own words in an Instagram post, where he shared the cover photos, explaining the magazine is “Something I never thought I’d do, but here we are. 10 years ago I was a beer guzzling, kebab munching smoker. Having kids really made me knock all those bad habits on the head (excuse the pun), and I got heavily into exercise and moderation.”
Now, as he explained to Men’s Health, “I do think it’s relatable for parents to suddenly want to be a bit more healthy and follow a bit more of a routine … I’m not saying we all need to run marathons and blah, blah, blah. I’m also not selling super-healthy eating or this or that. I still enjoy myself and I don’t roll around with a little tub of grilled turkey. It’s all about moderation.”
Sheeran continues, “I’m not saying I’m done with enjoying myself, I still drink. I love red wine, I love a nice meal, but it’s not every day.” And as he said in his Instagram post, it’s “time for a mince pie and a pint.”
The full interview is in the next issue of Men’s Health UK on sale Dec. 23, or now on the MH website.