Ed Sheeran was "intensely unhappy" in the first decade of his career

Ed told The Sun newspaper: "I think in the first decade of my career I was intensely unhappy as I had no ¬balance, I was just work, work, work.

"And yes, everything was hyper-successful, but it was hyper-successful because I had no personal life at all.

"Work was everything. I think ¬finding that balance with getting married, having a family, living around my friends...

"Being able to spend time with my friends and family - that has now become 70 per cent of my life, and work is like 30 per cent.

"Before, it was 100 per cent and zero anything else.

"The balance of getting to exist as a human being rather than just a pop star machine - that would be my measure of success."

Ed - who has daughters Lyra, five, and three-year-old Jupiter with his wife Cherry Seaborn - now ensures that his family take priority over his career.

He explained: "The stage I am at in my career is that I am really happy and settled. I am really happy with who I am as an artist, the music I am ¬creating and the shows I am doing.

"Honestly, the biggest thing for me is being able to balance being a dad and being a husband, and to feel like I am achieving both things to a good level."

Ed confessed to working too hard during his younger years, but he now wants to enjoy his success and his family life.

He said: "To be that successful in my 20s you have to give everything of yourself all day, every day, and there's a time limit to that, sanity-wise.

"I see it now, and when I hang out with new artists who are in the zone it just compounds the feeling for me of being, 'That ain't me any more'.

"You know, work 16 hours a day and just be in it. You have to do that at some point in life but at some point you have to just take your foot off the gas a little bit, especially when you have children."