The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea has banned pop superstar Ed Sheeran from hosting drinking games or handing out free drinks at his London restaurant.
Sheeran quietly opened Bertie Blossoms, named after a pet name he has for his wife Cherry Seaborn, in the summer of 2019. It was initially believed that Bertie Blossoms would be a pub, but it then became clear that the site would primarily be a restaurant.
The Shape of You singer was recently granted permission by the council to be able to serve alcohol to customers, as long as they are seated. However, Sheeran still has to adhere to strict rules, which stipulate that the staff at Bertie Blossoms cannot offer any free booze promotions, or host drinking games in which alcohol is poured directly into punter’s mouths or in which customers are challenged to ‘down’ drinks within a certain amount of time.
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s rules state that: “A responsible person must ensure that staff on relevant premises do not carry out, arrange or participate in any irresponsible promotions in relation to the premises.
“An irresponsible promotion means any one or more of the following activities… games or other activities which require or encourage, or are designed to require or encourage, individuals to drink a quantity of alcohol within a time limit… or drink as much alcohol as possible.”
Sheeran is famously a fan of partying, but he has been living a slightly calmer lifestyle recently, resulting in a four stone weight loss. Speaking on podcast Behind The Medal, he revealed that running and cycling had helped him to shed serious pounds. “My problem was I'd go to the pub, have bangers and mash, a pie, maybe a pudding and then loads of pints. And then not exercise.” said the singer.
“My friends used to call me Two Dinners Teddy. I'm 12 stone now. I started running. I've got into cycling as well.”
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