Johnny McDaid has compared writing songs with Ed Sheeran to "having a kid."

The 45-year-old musician - who is known as member of the band Snow Patrol - has teamed up with global pop star Ed, 31, to pen hits such as 'Shape Of You', 'Shivers' and the pair received the Ivor Novello Award for Most Performed Song for 'Bad Habits'.

However, Ed was "gutted" that he couldn't attend the ceremony in person to collect the award after he and wife Cherry Seaborn welcomed their second daughter on Thursday (22.05.22).

Johnny told The Daily Star newspaper: "I'm going to get this statue up to him. I'm going up to see him at the weekend. He can't be here, he's got a very important family thing back at home at the moment. I was talking to him this morning and he was really sad he couldn't be there because this one is really important to him and he wants the Ivors to know that.

"[Working with Ed] is like having a kid. I conceive it with Ed and he goes off and raises the child so all the work is on him."

Johnny - who has been in a relationship with former 'Friends' star Courteney Cox whilst Ed is married to childhood friend Cherry and also has two-year-old Lyra with her - added that his friend and co-writer "works his a**" off on the song and that the pair have a "unique" method of communication that allows them to pen so many hits.

He added: "He works his a** off on it, tours the world, brings in people otherwise you wouldn't hear them. We have a unqiue way of communicating that is based on trust. His availability to ideas is like nothing I've ever seen in anybody else ever."