Ed Sheeran reveals wife Cherry Seaborn had a tumour while pregnant with their second child

1 March 2023, 10:24

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"In just over a week, I replaced a decade's worth of work with my deepest darkest thoughts."

As he announces his new album, Ed Sheeran has revealed that wife Cherry Seaborn had tumour while pregnant with their second child.

The singer-songwriter has spoken of how he jettisoned a decade's worth of material as he poured his anguish and fears into his upcoming record – (subtract), which will be released on May 5, 2023.

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Ed and Cherry privately welcomed their second child Jupiter in May 2022, following the birth of their first daughter Lyra Antarctica in August 2020.

"I had been working on Subtract for a decade, trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album, writing and recording hundreds of songs with a clear vision of what I thought it should be," Ed said in a handwritten statement on Twitter.

"Then at the start of 2022, a series of events changed my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I viewed music and art.

"Writing songs is my therapy. It helps me make sense of my feelings. I wrote without thought of what the songs would be, I just wrote whatever tumbled out. And in just over a week, I replaced a decade’s worth of work with my deepest darkest thoughts."

He continued: "Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumour, with no route to treatment until after the birth.

"My best friend Jamal, a brother to me, died suddenly and I found myself standing in court defending my integrity and career as a songwriter. I was spiralling through fear, depression and anxiety.

"I felt like I was drowning, head below the surface, looking up but not being able to break through for air."

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Ed added: "As an artist I didn't feel like I could credibly put a body of work into the world that didn’t accurately represent where I am and how I need to express myself at this point in my life.

"This album is purely that. It’s opening the trapdoor into my soul. For the first time I'm not trying to craft an album people will like, I'm merely putting something out that's honest and true to where I am in my adult life."

Released on May 5, – (Subtract) is the fifth in Ed's series of albums with maths-themed titles, and is available for pre-order now.

It follows his debut + (Plus) in 2011, x (Multiply) in 2014, ÷ (Divide) in 2017 and = (Equals) in 2021.