Jethro Sheeran has hit out at the singer during a recent Piers Morgan interview, saying the singer has behaved like a ‘coward’ and ‘lying’ for over a decade. He also insisted he is not jealous of his famous cousin.

Jethro Sheeran’s comments come amid the ongoing controversy surrounding Ed Sheeran’s now-cancelled tour. The row began when Macklemore was removed as a support act from his tour from Sheeran’s tour over his public support for Palestine.

Sheeran claimed that he had no input in this decision which was made by pro-Israel stadium owner Robert Kraft, who accused rapper Macklemore of antisemitic rhetoric. In a public statement, Sheeran claimed he stays neutral on political issues as his fans include young people from a range of different backgrounds.

However, many were angered by Sheeran’s decision to stay neutral on the topic and continue with the tour, including the rest of his support acts who all dropped out following the uproar. Multiple shows of the tour have now been cancelled due to ‘weather concerns’.

During all this controversy, which Ed Sheeran described as "one of the worst weeks of [his] life" during which he felt ‘‘abandoned’’ by friends and family on stage, the singer’s cousin Jethro Sheeran has been publicly slating him.

Jethro, who is known professionally as Alonestar and also works as a musician, took to social media to claim that the Shape of You singer had a shady character. He said

"Finally, the world and all his fans see through him. He's not a good person, I don't like his music, so I can't say he's even a good artist."

"Ed Sheeran! He is shady, and he's dropped Macklemore himself. I believe 100 per cent he's a coward."

"In my opinion, he's a bad human. Just my opinion from my experiences."

Now, the A Team singer’s cousin has doubled down on his personal attacks, claiming in a recent interview with Piers Morgan that:

"I'm Jethro Sheeran, he's Edward Sheeran. We're both Sheerans, we're cousins. Seeing what he did to Macklemore, I believe that he kicked him off that show, as I've witnessed him being a coward for almost 10 years and lying."

When host Piers Morgan suggested that his public contempt for his cousin was due to envy, Jethro insisted there was no jealousy towards Ed at all and even well-wished him:

Speaking on Piers Morgan Uncensored, he added: "He's very talented and people think I'm jealous, but jealous of what? His looks, his guitar? I mean, I don't hate him at all. I wish him the best..."

Jethro gave an insight into the origins of his bitterness toward his family member and Castle on the Hill singer, saying to Piers Morgan on Piers Morgan Uncensored that when Ed Sheeran blew up he ‘completely left everything that we built behind but not only that took everything down’.

He also accused the Thinking Out Loud artist of stealing his lyrics and said he felt passionately about exposing the truth because he’d ‘Written all his songs’ but on further questioning by Piers said ‘well not all his songs’.

Jethro Sheeran, responding to Morgan’s suggestion that he was ‘bitter’ toward Ed, said he’s ‘not bitter… just passionate’.

Ed Sheeran has not responded publicly to his cousin's allegations and comments, none of which have been verified as fact.