Manchester: Wes Byrne, an Ed Sheeran lookalike, was moved to safety at one of the singer's concerts in Manchester after being mobbed for selfies. The 30-year-old is a binman from Oldham, who was at Sheeran's gig at Etihad Stadium earlier this month when he had to be moved by security guards after they feared he could cause a fire risk in the stadium as selfie-seeking people were blocking the gallery when he was on his way to the loo. Wes Byrne, who is often mistaken for being Ed Sheeran, was then shifted to the VIP zone from his seat.
"I get asked for selfies a lot, but I wasn't expecting that," Wes said to a daily. Wes' sister Sammy and his 8-year-old nephew AJ, who were also at the concert, had to be moved to safety along with Wes. "Nearly everyone knew I was a lookalike, although a few kids thought I was the real Ed, I wasn't going to ruin it for them," he added.
"About 15 minutes before Ed came on stage, the queue for selfies with me was all the way down a line of steps and out an exit, so security told us to go with them to some executive seats. We weren't complaining – it was a much better view." Wes said that it was his nephew's first-ever concert and he feels the attention they received was "hilarious."
Until 10 years ago, Wes said he didn't know who Ed Sheeran was when people told him he looked like the 'Shape of You' hitmaker and says there is not a single day when he gets stopped or asked for a selfie. "My girlfriend Leah absolutely hates it," he added.
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