The Wanted singer Max George has said that Ed Sheeran helped his late bandmate Tom Parker live for another year prior to his death.
Tom died last year the age of 33, after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in 2020.
In the late singer’s autobiography, Tom previously revealed how Ed helped him pay for cancer treatment towards the end of his life.
Max is currently appearing on Channel 4 reality show Scared Of The Dark, where he opened up to his fellow contestants about the death of his close friend and bandmate.
He said: “People from outside our group and friends, even they chipped in to help. Ed Sheeran did as well. That saved Tom’s life for a year.”
An emotional Max continued: “How do you deal with it? There’s no cure for that so you just sort of learn to carry on with your life. Deal with it? Definitely not.
“I don’t think I’ll ever be OK with it. One of the last things I said to him was I thanked him for making my life so much better than it ever could have been.
“That whole journey through being in the band, he was my best friend.”
In his autobiography, which was published after his death, Tom told of how Ed had offered to do “anything he could” to help him after his diagnosis, calling the Shape Of You singer a “very special man”.
Tom recalled: “Pretty much from the moment I was diagnosed, Ed Sheeran reached out to me with an offer to do anything he could to help.
“Ed and I have known each other since he joined The Wanted on our tour bus during a promotion trip in America more than ten years ago.
“We’ve always run into each other over the years and had a great relationship.”
He continued: “I’ve never publicly said this before (and he’ll probably be mad that I’m doing it now) but Ed is a very special man — he even helped out with my medical bills when I was seeking other treatment options and having private immunotherapy.
“He didn’t need to do any of that, but my wife Kelsey and I are so grateful to him for his support. It meant the world.”