AceShowbiz -

The Sun reported that Nicole Scherzinger and Ed Sheeran have been secretly dating. The alleged couple were said to have become very close in recent months and gone on low-key nights out to quiet pubs. Even greater, he took her for a date to his home town in Suffolk.

Nicole, 37, initially reached out to Ed, 24, after telling him his songs helped her moving on from her split from then boyfriend Lewis Hamilton. And though a representative for Ed denied there was something romantic between them, the two have since become close to one another and he even wrote lyrics for her, while she has dedicated performances to him on stage at private gigs.

"They were showbiz friends who saw each other on the scene," claimed Nicole's friend. "She was drawn to him over the last few months through his music. When she split from Lewis, she was heartbroken but ended up playing Ed's songs on a loop."

"As far as he's concerned they were in the early stages of dating and he's been open about it with close friends and colleagues. It may not develop beyond those dates but they're definitely tight," a friend of Ed told The Sun. A friend of Nicole, meanwhile, stated "They're extremely close. Nicole says he is the male version of her."