Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran: 'Red" Tour Opener Defends '22' Singer, Serial Dating Rumors 'Misconception'

Ed Sheeran has been opening up for Taylor Swift's incredibly successful "Red Tour" this year and has known the pop star for about two years now. That said, Sheeran feels that he knows his friend Taylor pretty well and has come to her defense in the matter of her love life. We are all very aware of the "serial dating" rumors surrounding Swift for years now, but Sheeran recently told OK Magazine that they are not true at all!

While the 23-year-old "I Knew You Were Trouble" has been linked to Harry Styles, Jake Gyllenhaal and John Mayor over the years, he friend and tour opener Sheeran says that her dating life has been blown out of proportion.

"The rumor that she dates a lot of people is a misconception," the 22-year-old told the magazine. "In the time that I've known her, which has been almost two years now, she has dated two people. Fact."

Ed Sheeran also weighed in on her dating history in general. He said, "In her entire life I think she's dated around five or six people. I don't like when people take shots at [Taylor] because I do know her personally and I think people get the wrong end of the stick."

"She's so successful and she's so nice and sweet to everyone that she meets," Sheeran added. "There is nothing bad to say but she was being pictured with a lot of dudes!"

Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift are set to release their duet "Everything Has Changed" as Swift's next United Kingdom single. Earlier this year, rumors about these two dating were circulating, too, but the two have denied these reports claiming they are simply tour mates and friends.

In a recent interview with MTV News, Sheeran talked about how great Swift is outside of the spotlight.

"She's so down to earth, despite being one of the biggest acts of the planet, you don't really see that side of her unless she's on stage," Sheeran explained. "When she's on stage, she's an entertainer and a performer, but when she's off stage, she spends half the time tossing cat treats to her cat. It's a very relaxed backstage area, and when we're not on tour, it's just, like we went out for a stir-fry the other day."