Hello! Stars Ed and Lionel catch up after Welsh gig
ED SHEERAN and music legend Lionel Richie were seen catching up together in a Cardiff restaurant, it emerged yesterday.
The singer-songwriter performed four sell-out concerts at the Principality Stadium and the Dancing on the Ceiling singer is also currently on a UK tour himself.
But Richie made a detour while on his way to the south coast and was spotted in the Principality Stadium soon after the Friday night show kicked off.
After the gig, the pair had a proper catch-up in Cardiff’s award-winning Park House restaurant, one of the city’s best restaurants, which is run by husband and wife duo Adam and Claire Pledger.
Ed treated himself to bottles of 1997 Penfold Grange, which cost £750 a bottle, while Richie enjoyed the £29 Brecon lamb.
“Ed obviously knows his wine,” said Sian Gunney, a spokeswoman for the Park House, which has won several awards for its wine list. It serves wine starting at £4 a glass or £22 a bottle.
“His PA rang and made the booking and Ed actually spoke to the staff himself. They were both so down to earth and relaxed, they didn’t have a demanding list of things they wanted.”
Chef Andrew Frost was on hand to cook food for the stars and Ed made positive comments about the vegetarian and vegan dishes.
But despite relaxing in the restaurant until 3am, he didn’t eat.
“Ed didn’t eat, he must have been so pumped with adrenaline,” continued Ms Gunney.
“But he must have looked at the wine menu before he came because he knew exactly what he wanted. He went straight to the wine bar.”
Owners Adam and Claire didn’t want anybody to know when they found out the two world-famous stars would be dining there but Sheeran posted a photo of them on his Instagram account, where it has been liked nearly 800,000 times.
“Park House is a family-run business and everyone was so excited when they found out, but they were so professional the entire time. They wanted the guys to have a relaxed experience.
“Staff closed off the restaurant to the public so they had the restaurant and wine bar to themselves and even had a tour.”
The famous duo posed for a picture on the stairs inside the restaurant and even included a bottle of wine in the shot.
“We were so surprised when we saw the photo on social media,” continued Ms Gunney.
“It was a pleasure to look after them and they are always welcome back at Park House.
“The best bit is that they said they loved it. That makes all of our work worthwhile.”
Sheeran also thanked Welsh police officers for keeping people safe during his record-breaking run of four shows, which ended on Sunday night, and even posed for a selfie with two officers. South Wales Police shared the picture on Twitter and praised the star for thanking officers.
The message said: “Thank you Ed Sheeran for taking the time out to thank all South Wales Police Officers for their hard work in keeping his fans safe over the last four days.”
Around 240,000 fans headed to the stadium for the Cardiff leg of the Divide Tour – including a couple from Barry who spent £645 on tickets.
On his opening night, Sheeran performed an encore wearing a Gareth Bale shirt and told his fans of his “deep love” for Wales.
He said: “I have a deep love for Wales. I’ve come here and played a lot of shows, written a lot of songs here and always have tremendous amounts of fun.
“I had a gig at 18 years old when I wasn’t that popular and I do find it nuts that we’re playing four nights at this stadium. I find it surreal.
“This venue has been on my bucket list to play because when you come to play in Wales, you play the student union and the Motorpoint and there’s a big gap after that.
“It’s taken four years to get here, but here I am. I am very chuffed. All the other places I’ve played have an open roof but this feels like an intimate gig because the roof is closed.”
Sheeran is now due to perform in Amsterdam on Thursday.