Before Ellie Goulding and Ed Sheeran married their respective partners, the two were linked to having a romantic relationship, but things quickly turned sour when Sheeran alleged that Goulding cheated on him.
However, Goulding has finally come forward to finally address the rumors once and for all, when a fan commented on one of her TikToks: "Can't believe u cheated on Ed with Niall, but slay [for real]."
The "Lights" singer quickly replied, "False!!!!! But also slay."
But first, where did these rumors even originate from? Did Goulding really cheat on Sheeran? How did fans figure it out?
Sheeran released his single "Don't" in 2014, and fans caught on a suspicious line from the song's lyrics: "I never intended to be next / But you didn't need to take him to bed, that's all / And I never saw him as a threat / Until you disappeared with him to have sex, of course / It's not like we were both on tour / We were staying on the same f**king hotel floor."
Lyrics from the song indicated that the "Bad Habits" singer was referring to Goulding, especially these telling lines: "But me and her, we make money the same way," after all, she too is a singer and songwriter like him.
According to Daily Mail UK, Sheeran was singing about a heartbreak caused by his partner cheating on him with a friend-who is allegedly One Direction alum Niall Horan.
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Decades-Old Rumors
The rumors stem back from a picture of Goulding showing public displays of affection with Horan during the V Festival in England, then again when they were seen holding hands at the MTV VMAs in 2013.
When the rumors first broke out among fans, the "Burn" singer took to Twitter to air out her frustrations, "I love that holding hands with my friends means we're an item. In that case, I am in many relationships. Lover, not a hater. #whatthef**k."
According to E News, Sheeran was having none of it, and he too addressed the rumors during a radio appearance: "I mean, normal people don't hold hands if they're just friends [...] It was going on and now it's not."
Despite the long-standing rumors surrounding the trio, Sheeran declared in his 2015 interview with Entertainment Weekly that he "never actually confirmed it."
Additionally, the "Heartbreak Weather" singer has also never addressed the rumors on his end.
As of this writing, neither Sheeran nor Horan has addressed Goulding's reply to the rumors, and fans still have mixed reactions whether to believe her or not.
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