Ed Sheeran has to cover new tattoo for acting role

Ed Sheeran has had to conceal the huge lion tattoo on his chest for an acting role.

The Thinking Out Loud star revealed the inking on his chest last month, which hugely divided the opinion of his fans.

He took to Instagram last night to claim that the lion head tattoo wasn’t real, posting a photo of his bare chest along with the caption: “Was only joking about the lion.”

However, mere hours later he posted another photo of his chest, in which the corner of the tattoo is clearly visible, writing: “Only joking, covered it up for a TV show didn’t I”.

He presumably had to cover up the inking for his role in the upcoming FX medieval drama The Bastard Executioner, in which he plays Sir Cormac, an “ambitious and deadly” protégé of a powerful church elder.

The singer said that he got the lion’s head tattoo to commemorate his three sold-out gigs at Wembley Stadium in July.

Sheeran took to Twitter following the negative feedback on the giant lion inking, writing: “All this kerfuffle over a tattoo. If it was black and white saying a clever phrase in a language I can’t speak no one would’ve said anything. It’s not the first weird tattoo I’ve got and it won’t be the last. I like all of them.”

It looks like Ed has caught the acting bug in a big way. This week he also made a cameo appearance on Aussie soap Home and Away which was filmed when he was on tour down under earlier this year.

Ed plays ‘Teddy’, one of the children cared for by nanny Marilyn when she worked in the UK.

Ed Sheeran has to cover new tattoo for acting role