‘He gives me a shout-out every now and then’: Gregory Porter reveals how Ed Sheeran friendship gets him spotted on the street

Who knew the pair were so close? (Picture: Rex/ BBC)

Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Gregory Porter needs no introduction to most people, but he is grateful to superstar Ed Sheeran for helping him break the ice with fans.

The American jazz singer spilled on his relationship with Ed while talking about his new role in this year’s Disney Christmas advert, which features his original song Love Runs Deeper.

Grammy-winner Gregory, 49, told Metro.co.uk: ‘I love Ed Sheeran, I think he’s so cool. He gives me a shout-out now and then.’

The 30-year old singer’s public mentions of the jazz icon have resulted in a few memorable fan encounters, too.

‘It’s funny, I was on the street in New York, and some guy went up to me and said, “You look like the guy that Ed Sheeran gave a shout-out to the other day”,’ Gregory joked.

‘I was like, “yeah, that’s me!” He looked at me and went, “no, it’s not you’re lying”, and walked away.

Gregory is looking forward to seeing Ed Sheeran at this year’s Royal Variety Performance (Picture: IBL/REX/Shutterstock)

Gregory Porter’s original song Love Runs Deeper is featured in the cute ad (Picture: Taylor Herring PR)

‘I was like “no, young man come back here, I’m gonna prove it to you, let me sing!”‘ he added.

Gregory will soon perform at the Royal Variety Performance alongside Ed, and he’s excited to see his pal up on stage.

Meanwhile, the jazz icon performs a heart-warming rendition of his original track Love Runs Deeper for the new Disney festive advert, which is supporting the children’s charity Make-A-Wish.

The advert titled The Stepdad emphasises love from an unconventional family perspective (Picture: Taylor Herring PR)

The animation is filled with many visuals celebrating Disney classics (Picture:Taylor Herring PR)

The three-minute animated advert, set to rival John Lewis, emphasises love from an unconventional family perspective.

Titled The Stepdad, it tells the story of Mike as he moves into the family home of his new partner.

The advert shows the family ‘navigate an emotive journey as they enjoy combining existing festive traditions with new ones in the run-up to Christmas’, according to Disney.

‘It celebrates real togetherness, encouraging real family love that has a real impact in society and I love that,’ Gregory explained.

‘All of these things have been in short supply in the separation that has been necessary to get past this pandemic.’

Disney has long supported Make-A-Wish, helping the organisation to create life-changing wishes for children who are critically ill.

Gregory’s emotive track, which provides a narrative to the dialogue-free advert, will be available for download from November 3 and, for every download before December 31, 100% of the proceeds from the retail price will go to Make-A-Wish International.

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Disney is also helping to back the charity by giving fans the chance to buy a Skating Minnie Mouse soft toy and journal inspired by the heart-warming ad

The Stepdad, Disney’s ‘From Our Family To Yours’ animated festive advert, can be watched on DisneyUK’s YouTube channel.

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