Ed Sheeran: I'm not a 'sex symbol'

Singer/musician Ed Sheeran. Photo / Getty Images

Ed Sheeran believes people only think he's sexy because of his music.

The Drunk hitmaker found it "flattering" when People magazine included him in its Sexiest Man Alive list last year, because he sees it as a sign of his talent as he doesn't think he'd be found attractive otherwise.

He told Nightline: "I've never seen myself as a sex symbol, and I think if I didn't play music no one else would [see me that way] either.

"We're attracted to people who are good at things. So being in that People magazine thing is very flattering, because it means people think I'm good at my craft. But I would never say that I'm a sex symbol."

The 23-year-old singer - who is in a relationship with Athina Andrelos - has a host of famous friends, including Taylor Swift, Pharrell Williams, Coldplay's Chris Martin, and Sir Elton John, and he is always happy to turn to them for advice.

He said: "The same thing Taylor said to me was the same thing Pharrell said, same thing Chris Martin said, is just the same thing: Constant humility, constant evolution and be a sponge, soak up your influences.

"Elton John is someone who has done everything right in his career, and everything wrong in his career. He made so many mistakes that he could talk about freely and that's good advice."

- Bang! Showbiz