Ed Sheeran slept through his album launch amid 'pretty gnarly' COVID-19 battle
Watch: Ed Sheeran had solo album party after COVID-19 diagnosis
Ed Sheeran has confessed he slept through the midnight launch of his new album in the midst of a "pretty gnarly" struggle with COVID-19.
The 30-year-old singer told Zoe Ball on BBC Radio 2 that he thinks he's now "getting to the other side" of the illness after testing positive last weekend.
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He said: "The beginning of the week was pretty gnarly but I just drunk a lot of water and slept a lot and had all the vitamins that the doctor told me to have.
"But yeah, it's the first time I didn't stay up for an album release. I tried and then I was just like 'you know what I need some sleep'.
"I went to bed and got a good night's sleep and I was up bright and early."
Sheeran has been conducting numerous interviews from his Suffolk home in order to promote the release of his fourth album =, which was unveiled on Friday.
He said earlier this year that he believes the new record to be "the best bit of work that I’ve done" and revealed he had written considerably more than the 14 tracks which make their way on to the album.
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Sheeran cancelled all imminent in-person appearances and performances on Sunday, after receiving a positive test for COVID-19.
He wrote on Instagram: "Quick note to tell you that I’ve sadly tested positive for COVID, so I’m now self-isolating and following government guidelines.
"It means that I’m now unable to plough ahead with any in person commitments for now, so I’ll be doing as many of my planned interviews/performances I can from my house."
The new album is expected to continue Sheeran's chart dominance, having already spawned three top 10 singles.
Bad Habits and Shivers both went to number one in the UK Singles Chart, while Visiting Hours peaked at number three.
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Sheeran is also targeting another run at the Christmas number one spot, revealing a preview of his festive duet with Sir Elton John during his BBC Radio 2 interview.
He said: "It's definitely got loads of sleigh bells on it and will sound a lot more Christmassy than that, but that is a tiny hint of the song."
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