Ellie Goulding insists she and Ed Sheeran are "mates".

Ellie Goulding

Ellie Goulding

While Ed's song 'Don't' is widely believed to be based on a love triangle between him, Ellie and One Direction's Niall Horan, 21, she claims there is no bad blood and she and Ed, 24, are good friends.

Ellie, 28, said: "I saw him the other day, we're mates. I think we have a lot of respect for each other."

Regarding speculation, which she denies, that her new song 'On My Mind' is based on Ed, Ellie said: "I'm sure he finds it funny."

And despite claims to the contrary, Ellie - who has admitted to a previous fling with Niall - insists she and Ed never dated.

She told The Times Magazine: "We never... dated. I think there was an assumption that we did but we were never together. It's not really me to stick the knife in people, I'm a nice person."

Ellie - who is dating McFly's Dougie Poynter - added that it infuriates her when "the focus becomes past relationships when I've achieved so much. I'm kind of tired of being defined by that."

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