It sounds almost impossible now, as 90,000 fans roar his name beneath the lights of Wembley Stadium — but there was a moment when Ed Sheeran came dangerously close to walking away from music altogether.

And it all hinged on eight words.

In a candid new interview, the global superstar has revealed a cutting remark made early in his career that, he admits, “lodged itself in my head for years.” The comment, delivered backstage at a high-profile industry event long before fame softened the edges of ambition, came from a fellow rising pop star — Dua Lipa.

“Stick to your cheap guitar, kid,” Sheeran recalls being told.

At the time, he was an unknown red-haired busker with scuffed trainers, a battered acoustic guitar and a habit of sleeping on friends’ sofas. Dua, already being groomed by major labels, was moving in very different circles. According to Sheeran, the remark wasn’t meant for the press — but it landed like a punch to the chest.

“I laughed it off,” he said. “But that night, I went home and seriously questioned whether I belonged anywhere near pop music.”

For months afterward, the insult echoed every time he stepped on stage. Every rejection, every empty room, every dismissive look from industry executives seemed to confirm it. He was told he didn’t look like a star. Didn’t move like one. Didn’t sound like one.

And yet — he kept playing.

He kept writing. On buses. On floors. In borrowed bedrooms. On street corners where passersby barely glanced up. What nearly ended his career, he says now, quietly became fuel.

Fast forward to today.

As Sheeran stood on the Wembley stage this week — alone, armed only with his guitar and loop pedal — the weight of that moment came crashing back. He paused between songs, visibly emotional, and shared the story for the first time with fans who had grown up alongside his music.

“I realised something,” he told the crowd. “If I’d listened back then, I wouldn’t be standing here now.”

Ironically, both artists have since conquered the world — and insiders insist there is no lingering feud. Sources close to Dua say the comment was “offhand, immature, and deeply regretted,” adding see has privately congratulated Ed on his Wembley triumph.

But for Sheeran, the lesson is etched permanently.

The boy with the “cheap guitar” didn’t need to change who he was — the world just needed time to catch up.

And as Wembley erupted into thunderous applause, one thing was unmistakable: the insult that almost ended his journey became the quiet spark that helped him finish it at the very top.