What happened to his big lion chest tattoo? Ed Sheeran has admitted that it was all a joke as he showcased his bare, ink-free, chest in an Instagram post on Wednesday August 26.

Ed has shocked fans and social media users at the start of the month when he happily 'unveiled' his artwork with his 14.8million Twitter and 4.5million Instagram followers.

The singer, who is known for his penchant for tattoos, showed off the intricate design in a shirtless snap, which was simply captioned: ‘Halfway and ouch.’

The inking was designed by celebrity tattoo artist Kevin Paul, who has previously created tattoos for the likes of One Direction’s Harry Styles and N-Dubz rapper Dappy.

Ed showed his 'appreciation', by later tweeting: '‘Lion is courtesy of @kp_est78, who puts up with me complaining about the pain.’'

Ed is a huge fan of body art and has impressive sleeves – dedicated to his music - as well as the word ‘Red’ tattooed.