An Ed Sheeran lookalike had to be moved to safety during a gig after being mobbed by fans for selfies.
Security guards took action after Wes Byrne was feared to be creating a fire risk – and moved him from his £82.50 seat to a VIP zone, where tickets sell for more than £1,000.
Wes, 30, who has previously met superstar Sheeran, bought tickets to see him perform at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium last weekend.
But when he went to the loo, he was surrounded by so many fans wanting pictures that his sister had to rescue him.
Former Love Islanders Callum Jones and Molly Smith were among those asking for selfies.
There was such a crowd that Wes, his sister Sammy, 33, and her eight-year-old son AJ had to be moved to safety by security.
Wes, whose favourite Sheeran tune is You Need Me, I Don’t Need You, said: “I got lots of looks when I first walked in, but it wasn’t until the first person asked for a selfie that the floodgates opened.
“Nearly everyone knew I was a lookalike, although a few kids thought I was the real Ed.
“About 15 minutes before Ed came on stage, the queue for selfies with me was all the way down a line of steps and out an exit, so security told us to go with them to some executive seats.
“We weren’t complaining – it was a much better view.
“It was AJ’s first-ever music gig and he thought all the attention was hilarious.”
Wes had never heard of Sheeran until 10 years ago, when people started telling him he looked like the Bad Habits hitmaker.
He now picks up extra work as a lookalike on top of his full-time job as a council binman.
Wes, from Shaw, Greater Manchester, said: “Not a day goes by when I don’t get stopped or asked for a selfie. My girlfriend Leah absolutely hates it.”
Wes got to meet his famous lookalike on the set of an advert for Heinz tomato ketchup back in 2019.
Sheeran loves the condiment so much, he has a tattoo of the bottle and even brought out his own brand of the sauce, called Edchup.
Wes recalled: “The advert was based on him, but he was touring so didn’t have time to stay for all the photos.
“I was called in for shots that were meant to be the side and back of his head.”
While he may look like Sheeran, Wes doesn’t think he can compete with the singer in the music stakes. I’m an awful singer,” he said.
“I did try learning the guitar but I gave up because I was useless.”
