Ed Sheeran's cousin Jethro insists he is willing to heal family feud with the singer after he 'stole' his music as he says they haven't spoken in almost a decade

They have become embroiled in a very bitter, public family feud.

But Ed Sheeran's once beloved cousin Jethro Sheeran insists he would put their differences aside to reconcile with his estranged cousin Ed in a bid to restore peace to the family.

In an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, Jethro lifts the lid on their idyllic childhood memories, recalling a close bond forged despite growing up 210 miles apart – Jethro in Bristol and Ed in Framlingham, Suffolk.

It was at their grandparents' charming farmhouse in the Republic of Ireland, where the extended family gathered for holidays, that the cousins really hit it off.

'Ed was my closest cousin on the Sheeran side,' says Jethro, 44, who is nine years older than Ed, 35.

'My dad and his dad are two of eight brothers, so we are a huge family and have loads of cousins. We spent many Christmas holidays in Ireland, and me and Ed just gelled straight away.

'I was there when Ed bought his first cigarettes after his 16th birthday. He was so excited with his ID; I think it was a National Insurance card.'

When Ed was young, he was bullied at school, previously sharing: 'I hated primary school with a passion; I cried every day.

'I'm ginger, so I was instantly ripped into from the day I started school - ginger, had a stutter, and wore huge glasses... just a bit odd.'

Jethro says it was tough to watch, as he felt protective over Ed.

'I wanted to teach him how to defend himself and build his confidence. I felt extremely protective over him,' he shared.

'I taught him martial arts when I was 19, and he was a little kid. In my grandmother's front lawn, it is a huge place, and I used to teach him; he would follow me around with his big glasses and smile. He used to bring me pencils to hold, and he would do a karate chop.

'He looked so proud of himself.' Jethro recalls how Ed once became down in the dumps, his older cousin seeking a way to cheer him up.

He said: 'Those days I was modelling, and I was hanging out with Blue's manager.

'Ed got really sick, and he was in hospital, and so I asked the boys to sign their poster, so the whole boy band signed it, and this was before Ed was doing music and he was a big fan of them. He had that on his wall.'

Another special memory Jethro has involves his daughter Skyla.

'When my daughter was younger Ed did a painting of her, he was great at art, and he submitted it for his art a level and he got an A,' he said.

'So he was inspired by Skyla and he loved her and we loved him.'

Other fond, and very humble memories Jethro shared with Ed were typically made at their local Nando's.

Despite his high-profile status, Ed's love for the fast-food restaurant has never ended, and he even had a Nando's stall at his wedding to his wife, Cherry.

While they bonded over food, their main shared love and passion is music.

'We would spend 12 hours in the studio together, and we just had a rucksack on our backs, and those were the good times,' Jethro said, who now performs under the stage name Alonestar.

'I remember one of the first times we played together; it was in a pub to about eight people. Everyone was eating, and I don't even think they wanted to listen to us.

'Seeing him go from that to do 90,000 at Wembley, how can I not be proud of him? Of course I am.

'He's very talented. I could always see there was something special about him.

'When we started making music together, he would stay at my place in London a lot. Ed would sleep on my floor or stay at my friend's houses. We also had some fun nights out in Bristol together when he came to do shows with me. Those were good times; we were living in each other's pockets.'

Taking music more seriously, Ed's parents John and Imogen became their management.

'We wanted to be signed by a record label, and so because we couldn't we made up a record label and signed ourselves and had a party.

'I really did love the guy, and I was protective over him. I was even protective when he started getting big as people tried to take advantage of him and tried to get on his tours.'

But it all went wrong for the cousins when their careers started to take off – despite there being room for both of them in the industry, considering Ed made pop music, while Jethro is a hip-hop artist.

Their row began more than a decade ago after the Lego House hitmaker's music label, Warner Music, threatened legal action against Jethro.

Warner Music ordered Jethro to remove Ed's name and image from a remix of Raise Em Up, a song which the cousins originally collaborated on in 2010.

In 2024, Jethro spoke to the Daily Mail and accused Ed of carrying out a personal vendetta against him by enabling Warner Music's threat to take Jethro to court.

The rift resurfaced last month, following the public backlash against Ed after he dropped his support act Macklemore from his Loop tour for voicing his support for Palestine during his performances.

Ed claimed it was the promoters decision to drop Macklemore, however, Jethro believes Ed was involved.

In an Instagram post, Jethro wrote: 'I witnessed him being a coward for almost ten years and lying. Finally, the world and all his fans see through him. He's not a good person.

'I'm his first blood cousin, and he screwed me over. He only cared [sic] about himself, and he puts out a fake narrative that's calculated.'

On Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ed acknowledged the post and said: 'You might have seen my relative recently on social media...I haven't spoken to this family member in a very long time.'

While Ed became a global pop sensation with hit after hit amassing an estimated net worth of $400million (£300million), Jethro remains far less widely known and lives a more humble lifestyle.

He has had success as an independent artist, having surpassed 100 million streams worldwide.

Many believe Jethro's anger and brutal words come from a place of jealousy but he claims it is 'hurt' behind his outbursts and feels Ed threatened his livelihood.

'What Ed did confused and upset me. He stole music from me, and we haven't spoken for seven or eight years. I still don't have an answer as to why; it confuses me,' Jethro told The Mail on Sunday.

'He was essentially taking food out of my daughter's mouth.

'I felt like he was doing spiteful things and cruel things and thinking of himself. Our family was shocked and upset by it all, and members of our family have walked away from him.

'He did change from the Ed I once knew, and you should be kind to the people who were around when you came up.

'I brought him on stage so many times when he was coming up, but he never did the same. It hurt.'

On reflection, and following a disastrous Piers Morgan interview, Jethro admits he would reconcile with Ed for the sake of the Sheeran family.

'It would be good for our family to bring peace,' he said.

'I would make up with him, and we could say sorry to each other. I'm more than happy to move on. It will never be like it once was because we once had a beautiful time together, but I definitely don't hate him. We have the same blood in our veins.

'I would definitely hug and make up for the sake of our family.'

While Jethro may be ready to meet for a pint, it is unlikely the same can be said for Ed, who feels hurt over his family 'abandoning him' amid recent controversy.

Still, if even the Gallagher brothers can reconcile, perhaps there is hope for the Sheerans yet.