Ed Sheeran: I could not leave the house for months because of fame

Ed Sheeran has said he stayed holed up in his home for four months because he could not cope with fame.

The Castle On The Hill singer, 26, has returned to the limelight after taking a year-long hiatus from the music scene.

But he told The Sun that after losing his anonymity, he could not leave the house.

"I stayed inside for four months. I just ordered food in and watched movies.

"I couldn't just go out and get a pint of milk. I always wanted to maintain normality - being able to go to the pub or go and do a gig," he told the newspaper.

Sheeran, whose new album Divide is out on Friday, said: "I just stopped going out - instead I was ordering takeaways and putting on a lot of weight."

The singer said that when he entered the music industry, he was warned that people change when they get famous.

But he discovered that it was those around him - even his closest friends and family - who acted differently, partly down to his newfound wealth.

"It makes everyone act weird. They don't realise that they're doing it," the chart star said.

Sheeran, who has an estimated £45 million fortune, shot to fame in 2011 with hit single The A Team.