Ed Sheeran says he 'always' felt 'fat' because he compared himself to fellow stars like Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes

• Ed Sheeran recently opened up to Rolling Stone about mental health and body-image issues.
• He said he struggles with binge eating and feeling "fat" compared to other male singers.
• "I was in the One Direction wave, and I'm like, 'Well, why don't I have a six pack?'" he said.

Ed Sheeran said he felt "fat" after rising to fame "in the One Direction wave" and collaborating with stars like Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes.

For Rolling Stone's April cover story, the "Shape of You" hitmaker opened up about his struggles with binge eating and negative body image.

"There's certain things that, as a man talking about them, I feel mad uncomfortable. I know people are going to see it a type of way, but it's good to be honest about them," Sheeran said. "Because so many people do the same thing and hide it as well." 

"I have a real eating problem," he continued. "I'm a real binge eater. I'm a binge-everything. But I'm now more of a binge exerciser, and a binge dad. And work, obviously."

The four-time Grammy winner said he still has a fraught relationship with food, although it has improved since he quit drinking hard liquor and began working out more regularly.

Sheeran also said his insecurities have been exacerbated by comparing himself to other male singers.

"I'm self-conscious anyway, but you get into an industry where you're getting compared to every other pop star," he said. "I was in the One Direction wave, and I'm like, 'Well, why don't I have a six pack?' And I was like, 'Oh, because you love kebabs and drink beer.'"

"Then you do songs with Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes," he continued. "All these people have fantastic figures. And I was always like, 'Well, why am I so … fat?'"

Sheeran originally connected with Bieber when he wrote the song "Love Yourself," which was released on Bieber's 2015 album "Purpose." The two stars later collaborated on the hit single "I Don't Care" in 2019.

Meanwhile, Mendes has cited Sheeran as a major influence on his songwriting and covered several of Sheeran's songs when he was active on YouTube and Vine. They shared a stage in 2017 to perform a duet of Mendes' single "Mercy."

Sheeran's new album, "Subtract," is slated for release on May 5.

He teamed up with The National's Aaron Dessner to produce the new set of songs. They were introduced by Sheeran's close friend Taylor Swift, who tapped Dessner to produce her 2020 sister albums "Folklore" and "Evermore."

"He goes, 'Now you say what you want to say,'" Sheeran said of Dessner. "So, there's no filter. There wasn't any going back and checking on any lyrics. And I think that's what was brilliant about 'Folklore' and 'Evermore' — it's just complete brain-to-page. That's where you get lines like 'When I felt like I was an old cardigan under someone's bed, you put me on and said I was your favorite.' There wasn't anyone challenging that line. And that's why it's brilliant."

He told Rolling Stone he's concerned that critics might like "Subtract" too much.

"I'm worried about that, because all my biggest records, they hate," he explained.