The Fairground hitmaker struggled with his image in the early days of his career as he was often mocked for his "ginger" locks, and now admits he feels jealous of Sheeran for dealing with his own issues with grace and good humour.

Hucknall tells Britain's Event magazine, "I was slated for the way I looked. People want to be different but people who are different just want to fit in. If you have ginger hair you stick out. I was bullied at school - badly bullied - because of it and when people made jokes about the way I looked I couldn't handle it - I was defensive and paranoid. Now I look at Ed Sheeran and I think, 'I wish I could have been like him.' He handles it so well. There are the occasional comments but he's just got everyone past it (sic), or he'll make a joke. I could never do that."