How Jamie Foxx helped launch Ed Sheeran's career

Jamie Foxx put Ed Sheeran up for six weeks before the musician found fame.

After Sheeran approached Foxx about his music, the Hollywood A-Lister took the British musician in, giving him food and somewhere to sleep.

Speaking on The Graham Norton Show, Foxx said: "Ed Sheeran slept on my couch for six weeks before he was famous. I was doing a radio show in Los Angeles and he knew that we do music so he came to my radio show.

"I said, 'well let me hear [your music],' he comes to my crib...he plays and I'm like 'you're incredible.'

"I said, 'listen, I know you don't have anywhere to go, just chill here.' I was giving him food and my daughter was like 'who do you have over here now?'

"I would always champion the artist."

But Sheeran, 26, didn't have an easy time of it as Foxx decided to test his skills in front of a live audience.

He said: "I took him down to this show I was doing every Monday ... and there was like 800 black people. Just the best musicians...

"And he pops out with his little red hair and a ukulele ... and he went out there on that ukulele and got a standing ovation for 12 minutes. The rest is history."

Foxx, 49, is not the only Hollywood star to give Sheeran a place to stay; back in 2014, Sheeran revealed he had been living rent-free at Courteney Cox's Malibu beach house.

He said: "There was no rent but I made the bed and cups of tea and things like that. If you're staying at your friend's house, you should treat it like your own.

"Well, actually, that's a lie - because I don't make my own bed at home."

- BANG! Showbiz