Ed Sheeran bought £59 phone after four years without one just to use track and trace

Ed Sheeran has revealed he has bought a £59 phone after four years without one just so he can use NHS track and trace.

The Shape Of You singer, 30, ditched his last mobile back in 2017.

But he recently went and bought a Nokia one (which is priced at £59.99 on the Nokia site) so that NHS track and trace can reach him when he is travelling.

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He told Jessie Ware on her Table Manners podcast: “I bought a Nokia 3310, the new one.

“I’ve been doing promotion overseas and then I come back and quarantine afterwards.

“The Government call you but I didn’t have a phone for them to call me on so I bought another burner phone so they could check in basically.

"And they called a lot. They were really on me."

He joked: "I think they were trying to catch me out, but I was sensible.”

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The star might be needing his new phone in the next few weeks, as he is likely to be busy with the release of his new album.

Sheeran is set to unveil Equals, his fourth studio album and his first in four years, on 29 October.

Confirming the release date on Instagram this week, he told fans his new record was inspired by recent experiences such as getting married to Cherry Seaborn in 2019 and welcoming daughter Lyra Antarctica last year.

The star revealed he was really proud of his latest offering, saying it's the "best bit of work" that he has done.

Watch: Ed Sheeran releases 'Visiting Hours' and announces upcoming album