Singer Ed Sheeran says he used to wear a girdle because he was self-conscious about his weight.

The 24-year-old was so worried about his waist in the beginning of his career that he experimented using the device to help him look slimmer, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

`I tried it on for an awards show because I was wearing a shirt and my belly just went nuts,` The Sun newspaper quoted Sheeran as saying.

`I was just like, 'No, this isn't happening'. It was like a corset,` he added.

Sheeran said he is concerned by the prospect of looking overweight while posing for photographs on the red carpet.

He further revealed that a newly-tailored suit he donned for the recent BRIT Awards, where he won the British Male Solo Act and Album of the Year prizes, no longer fits him.

Sheeran said: `It just means I'm a bit of a chubby b*****d.`