He may be one of the biggest pop stars of the moment, but it's not the money, or the awards, or even the screaming fans that make the climb to the top worth all the hard work. Rather, Ed Sheeran says the biggest reward of fame is his ability to change his parents' lives for the better.

Ed Sheeran at the 2015 Brit AwardsEd Sheeran, family man

The 'Thinking Out Loud' singer told The Mirror that the highlight of his career so far is "being able to really pay my parents – not just financially – but being able to give them the things they wouldn't have ever dreamed of...

"Seeing them going off doing their thing is probably the best thing that's come out of my career. They're going around the world and for me to see that is great."

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He also revealed how his parents have inspired him to start a family of his own. "My parents are so in love it's ridiculous. I kind of look at it like pressure.

"They've cracked it and my grandparents cracked it – but nowadays it's harder to find that. I hope to have kids."

The 24-year-old may have just performed the biggest shows of his career with three solo concerts at Wembley Stadium, but he said, "I'm not really doing big gigs for the money. I'm doing them because it's good to play Wembley.

"Not many people have played Wembley: If you look at the list, it's like Madonna, Eminem, Elton John, Queen... It's quite a small list so it's cool."

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