Why Did Ed Sheeran & Athina Andrelos Break Up?

Just when Ed Sheeran's fans were settling into the idea that their favorite pop star was off the market, we were all hit with a surprise confession. During an interview on Australian radio show The Kyle And Jackie O Show, Ed Sheeran admitted that he is single now, after dating chef Athina Andrelos for a little over a year. So why did they break up? That topic was not addressed in the interview and there was no official statement, but there are a few theories.

During the interview, apparently the singer was visibly shaken up, making me think that the breakup is pretty fresh. Radio show host Jackie O said at one point, "He looks like he’s about to start crying — you shouldn’t have asked that." And Sheeran is quoted saying, "Yes… that's interesting, that's the first time I've spoken about that" in response to asking about his single status.

As for why they broke up, I'm sure you're not surprised to learn that people are throwing Taylor Swift into this story. Swift and Sheeran have made no secret about their best friend status, and I imagine that having another woman talking about how your boyfriend is someone she can really count on had to be at least a little bit annoying for Andrelos. For example, Swift made a point of thanking Sheeran during her 2015 Brit Awards acceptance speech, and some alleged "inside sources" say this rubbed Andrelos the wrong way. According to OK! Magazine , Andrelos was "jealous" of their friendship with a source explaining, "It's incredibly awkward for Ed, because Athina doesn't want Taylor anywhere near them or their social circle."

Again, I want to emphasize that this is all speculative, but Athina looked less than thrilled in the audience during that moment:

To be fair, Swift didn't say anything that was not indicative of a platonic relationship. In her speech she said, “I wouldn’t be up here if it wasn’t for one of my best friends who took me to pubs and showed me how to make a nice cup of tea. I love you Ed Sheeran.”

The more logical theory of why Sheeran and Andrelos split is that his work schedule was a lot for Andrelos to handle. His career is very hot right now with award shows, promotional events, and touring. A source told the UK Mirror, “Things haven’t been as good and Ed has just headed off on a world tour which will keep them apart for months."

Plus, when asked in December 2014 by Yahoo! Celebrity UK if he would start a family any time soon, Sheeran replied,

I'm not getting to that point. I think had my star stopped going up then yeah maybe. If my career had plateaued and it was just England and I was just working four months in a year and then chilling out. But I've done three weeks of promo and a month tour and the album took a few years to write.

To be honest, I can understand why Andrelos might be jealous of her boyfriend being closer with someone other than her, but if I had to guess, I wouldn't think that this was the reason for their break up. It seems to me that Sheeran might just be more closely attached to his growing career than he can be to any person during this time. Plus, you never know if this is a break or a breakup. The two could be back together soon.

Images: j-14 (2)