Ellie Goulding has expressed regret over having recently addressed the almost decade-old rumour that she had cheated on Ed Sheeran with fellow singer Niall Horan.
It was speculated years ago that Ellie, now 36, had a fling with Niall, now 29 - who was a member of One Direction at the time - whilst dating Ed, now 32, in around 2013.
The rumour is said to have been sparked by lyrics that featured in Ed's song Don't - released in 2014 - which were interpreted by some fans as having been about Ellie.
Ellie mentioned both Niall and Ed during an interview back in 2015, with her having told Elle UK: "I did go on a few dates with Niall but I was never in a relationship with Ed."
More recently though, she denied the rumour earlier this year after a fan suggested on social media that she had "cheated" on Ed with Niall. Ellie reacted by saying: "False".
Ellie - who has been married to art dealer Caspar Jopling since 2019 - has now suggested that she regrets addressing the rumour when it resurfaced on TikTok in January.
She told the Independent: "I shouldn't give in to that. For me to think that the right thing is to respond to rumours, knowing that in real life there aren't just 'heroes' and 'villains' like there are in the fake world of social media and tabloids.
"I think, by replying, I’m kind of making out that world is real, or adding validity to a world that is manufactured to keep us scrolling and keep us in fear and fascinated by celebrities."
"I think that the best thing for me is to stay in the real world [...] But sometimes you just gotta - occasionally; every, like, five years or so - put something out there," she added.
Ellie previously suggested to the Daily Mail during an interview in February that she'd been "really drunk" when she responded to the speculation earlier this year.
"It's fascinating how many people are interested in that," she further commented to the outlet. Ellie said the speculation caused her "a lot of trauma" earlier in her career.
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