Ed Sheeran says the injuries he suffered in a recent bicycle accident could have put an end to his guitar playing if he had battled through the pain to perform.

The 26-year-old singer broke both his arms and a rib after coming off his bicycle on a steep hill in Suffolk on Monday and has been forced to postpone five upcoming performances in Asia.

He told The Jonathan Ross show, which airs tomorrow night, that at first he wanted to play through the pain, not wanting to disappoint his fans.

He said: “I did try to be like ‘I will’

“I tried to say I’ll carry on doing the shows, but they said if I put any more stress on it, I might not be able to play (guitar) again so it’s good to be sensible.”

He added: “I do a one man show so me not having my arms is half of the show, so I’ve had to postpone a couple of shows, which sucks.

“It’s actually the first time I’ve ever cancelled shows.

“Sometimes a show has been cancelled because a promoter has done something, but it’s the first time that I’ve ever actually cancelled a show.”

Recalling the accident, he said: “I was in Suffolk (going down a really steep hill).

“The thing is, when it happened, I got up and was like, ‘That hurt’ and then cycled to the pub.

“Went home, went to sleep and then woke up at five o’clock in the morning in a lot of pain.

“And then went to the hospital.

“I don’t think I’m going to cycle for a while. I’ve got quite a big tour next year,” he added.

Ed said his latest injuries were one of a series of unfortunate accidents.

“I’m quite a clumsy guy anyway,” he said.

“I remember before a show in 2013 I had to have 12 stitches in my hand because I was playing drums with two beer bottles at about four o’clock in the morning and smashed my hand.

“But I did a show after that and, it wasn’t fine, but I did a show.

“Then I put my foot in a boiling geyser in Iceland, I had my face cut open, I’m a very clumsy person.”

You can catch the full interview on The Jonathan Ross show on Saturday at 10.20pm.