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Growing up in Manchester in the UK, Ty Jones never thought his dream of being an entertainer would come true, let alone that he’d have hordes of screaming fans chasing after him in the street.
But that’s exactly how life has turned out for the 26-year-old thanks to his uncanny resemblance to British music superstar Ed Sheeran.
His likeness to the ginger-headed singer has led to a career as a full-time lookalike model and aspiring actor.
Looking so similar to the 30-year-old musician does come with a drawback though: the extent to which Ed’s fans are obsessed with him.
“When Ed became really famous I always had people coming up to me and talking to me and wanting my picture – it was crazy.”
Ty is the same height as the star and has the same facial features, hair colour and mannerisms and says he’s mistaken for Ed “on a daily basis”.
“It’s like I can’t escape it. People go mad when they think they’re meeting Ed Sheeran,” he says.
His experiences with devoted Sheeran groupies have ranged from “fans crying and shaking to a starstruck cyclist who couldn’t stop looking and they crashed their bike while making eye contact”.
“It was like a comedy sketch,” he recalls. “When I went over to help, they said, ‘No way have I just met Ed Sheeran.’
“I’ve had crazy numbers of fans follow me in Hackney in London and in Los Angeles, to the point where the team I was working with have had to help me make a dramatic escape.”
He’s even been told he’s more attractive than Ed.
“I get loads of compliments from people who claim to have met him and can’t believe how similar we look.
“At my old job, a sweet old lady once said I looked like Ed but was better-looking in her opinion.”
Ty has resorted to doing his food shopping at night just to avoid fans and keeps a low profile in casual clothes, sunglasses, a face mask and a hat.
He previously told UK’s Mirror newspaper that his likeness to the Shape of You singer has taken a serious toll on his love-life.
“It’s made my relationships worse, I’d say, because now I have to weigh up if they like me for me or are just interested in me because I’m the next best thing to Ed.
“When girls ask me for pictures in the streets it’s annoyed some of my girlfriends in the past and caused problems,” Ty says. “It’s hard to explain because it’s not like I can help it and I don’t like being horrible to people and denying them a picture if they want one.”
While resembling the beloved musical artist has been a struggle, Ty admits that second-hand fame does have its perks.
The upside of the job includes being sent “free stuff” by brands and fans, as well as being let into clubs and restaurants as a VIP.
“I was walking past a shisha bar with my friend and a guy got us in. He was in disbelief and sat us at a table,” Ty says.
“By the time I got the chance to speak, I was sitting with the owner, table set, and it seemed too late to tell them I wasn’t him – I was in too deep.“
He then asked if I could follow him on social media. I told him I’d left my phone on the tour bus but then it started vibrating so we made up an excuse to leave fast before they knew.”
In 2012, Ty was given the opportunity to meet the singer.
“Meeting Ed has been the highlight in all of this. He was so down to earth and just so shocked at how much I look like him. It was really funny.”
Before landing his high-flying lookalike career, Ty had humble career goals.
“I never expected this. My aspirations in school were quite low,” he says.
“My dream job was working in [DIY chain store] B&Q or working on a fishing boat. Acting was more of a dream than reality back then.”
As for the future, Ty is working on mastering his Ed-impersonation skills and is learning to play the guitar.
“I aspire to master his songs and become a tribute act and also keep trying my hand at acting and different roles in the future.”
Sources: dailymail.co.uk, mashable.com, mirror.co.uk, nypost.com
