He¡¯s had mega-hit after mega-hit, but Ed Sheeran almost didn¡¯t make it to the big time if he had listened to the soul-crushing record companies when he started out.

The Grammy-winning British artist admitted that record companies told him he was unmarketable because of his unappealing image.

¡°Every single label I had gone to at the time had told me this song wasn¡¯t a hit, this song wouldn¡¯t work and the fact that I was slightly chubby and ginger wasn¡¯t a good ¡®marketing tool¡¯ for them¡± said Sheeran.

¡°So yeah, it did definitely feel like it wasn¡¯t going to happen. The way I maintained self-belief is that I knew I wasn¡¯t good at anything else so what else was I going to do and secondly with the whole look and songs that the labels rejected I knew it was really important you stay true to yourself. Being an individual makes you stand out from the crowd.¡±

Sheeran revealed his pain in comments to SBTV, who in association with NCS were helping teenagers in England develop their skills for the workplace and encourage their self-belief.

The artist, who¡¯s sensational hits, ¡®The A-Team¡¯ and ¡®Drunk¡¯ from his smashing album ¡®+¡¯, has been made Platinum around the world, recently visited Australia for a nation wide tour.

Since then, Sheeran has been touring with American star, Taylor Swift, but his biggest fan, might be fellow Brit, tennis player Andy Murray. Currently in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, Murray admitted that Sheeran was his inspiration to ¡°get in the zone¡± when playing on the court.