Ed Sheeran and Nicole Scherzinger are reportedly dating

The 24-year-old's pal revealed: "As far as he's concerned they were in the early stages of dating and he's been open about it with close friends and colleagues. It may not develop beyond those dates, but they're definitely tight."

The flame-haired singer invited Nicole to be a guest at his three London Wembley Arena shows and the pair were also spotted enjoying a pint at The Station Hotel in Ed's hometown, Framlingham, Suffolk days after his sellout shows.

The dark-haired beauty's friend told The Sun newspaper: "She loved it, because, as she put it, it was 'so real'. She kept saying that."

The 37-year-old American first sparked rumours of their closeness when she shared a photo with Ed backstage at his North London concert.

Nicole posted a picture of them back to back on Instagram with a caption, which read: Okay okay you win @teddysphotos, you're taller #UOENO."

It's thought the 'Sway' hitmaker became "extremely close" to the British musician when she told him how his music helped her get over her split from Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton.

Her friend added: "They were showbiz friends who saw each other on the scene. She was drawn to him over the last few months through his music. When she split from Lewis, she was heartbroken but ended up playing Ed's songs on loop."

A spokesperson for Ed has denied they are romantically linked and Nicole's representatives are yet to comment.