Ed Sheeran Was Bullied For Having A Debilitating Stutter, Eminem Helped Him Cure It

Ed Sheeran’s fans might be surprised to learn that the gentle-voiced singer/songwriter grew up with a debilitating stutter. Sheeran recently spoke about his struggle to overcome the problem and provided some great advice to young people everywhere about loving yourself for who you are, according to USA Today.

Ed Sheeran was often bullied as a child for his severe stuttering problem. But he wasn’t born with the stutter. According to Global News, the singer developed the stutter after he underwent a laser procedure to remove a birthmark from his face. Ed Sheeran revealed this at the American Institute for Stuttering’s Free Voices Changing Lives Benefit Gala on Monday where he was being honored.

“The thing I found most difficult was knowing what to say but not really being able to express it the right way,” Sheeran said.

Ed tried speech therapy and homeopathic medicine, but neither of them helped to resolve the issue. Amazingly, listening to Eminem is what ultimately cured Sheeran of his stutter. Learning the rapper’s fast-paced lyrics helped train him to speak more clearly.

He opened up about his own stuttering problem and how Eminem’s songs got him through it.

“My Uncle Jim told my dad that Eminem was the next Bob Dylan — it’s pretty similar, it’s all just storytelling — my dad bought me ‘The Marshall Mathers LP’ when was 9 years old, not knowing what was on it. I learned every word, back to front, by the time I was 10. He raps very fast and melodically and percussively, and it helped me get rid of my stutter.”

Ed Sheeran also gave the young people in the audience advice about accepting the parts of you that others might find weird. He described himself as a “very, very weird child,” but that he grew to love that about himself.

“If you have quirks and weirdness, you shouldn’t be worried about that,” Ed Sheeran said. “Just be yourself, because there’s no one in the world that can be a better you than you … Be yourself. Embrace your quirks. Being weird is a wonderful thing.”

Ed Sheeran also performed some of his music at the Gala and donated $20,000 to the institute.

For more on Ed Sheeran, read about the new song he debuted called “Sweet Mary Jane.” Even though he claims he hasn’t smoked in two years, the song is a shameless dedication to marijuana.

[Image credit: Getty]