Ed Sheeran's Epic Catch-Up With Taylor Swift Was Really a 'Joint Therapy Session' for Pair — After Fallout Rumors Hit Duo

Ed Sheeran's long-awaited catch-up with Taylor Swift turned into a "joint therapy session" for the pair, after speculation arose about tension between the longtime friends, OK! can reveal.

The British singer-songwriter, 34, and Swift, 35, have been close for more than a decade, ever since collaborating on their 2012 hit "Everything Has Changed" and spending months together in Nashville.

Sources say tensions did arise between the former close pals in part because of the proximity of their two recent album releases.

One insider explained: "Ed is very meticulous about timing his album releases. He gave four months' notice for his own, but Taylor announced hers only two weeks later. It forced his team to scramble to maximise attention beforehand, and he was clearly frustrated and understandably annoyed."

Another source added: "Their friendship has always been strong, but for a short time, conflicting schedules and public expectations created tension. The catch-up was really about reconnecting and supporting one another, rather than anything to do with chart positions."

Their friendship, however, faced public scrutiny this year after Swift announced her engagement to American footballer Travis Kelce, 36, on Instagram in August – a move Sheeran only learned about alongside Swift's fans, as he famously does not own a cellphone.

Despite rumors of a strained relationship – fueled by the near-simultaneous release of Sheeran's eighth studio album, Play, on September 12 and Swift's The Life Of A Showgirl on October 3 – Sheeran insisted in a new interview that their bond remains solid.

"I'm not self-conscious about my relationship with her," he said. "We've been friends for very, very many years. We're super close, and we see each other when we see each other, and when we see each other, we lock back into where we left off."

Describing their recent four-hour reunion chat, he added: "My way of viewing it is like, me and Taylor are mates and I will see her. And I saw her a week after that happened, so I did that interview, and then I saw her and you talk in person… when I saw Taylor we had like a four-hour catch-up, and it's life stuff rather than, like, I don't know, you know what I mean?"

"It basically turned into a huge joint therapy session for them both, where a lot of recent distance between them was erased," the source revealed.

The pair's history of close collaboration is long-standing. Sheeran recalled during their months living in Nashville, "We literally spent almost every single day with her for about six months."

Their friendship has also seen high-profile public appearances together, including speeches at Selena Gomez's wedding in California in September – where the topic of their album releases was notably absent.

Swift has publicly admitted she forgot to call Sheeran to tell him of her engagement to Kelce.

"This is one of my absolute favorite people on the planet, and then when the news came out, I was like, 'Oh my god! We forgot to call Ed!'" she said.

A source close to the duo added about the recent catch-up: "This wasn't just a casual long talk. It gave them space to talk openly about life, careers and personal milestones. Their support for each other has always been strong, and this was another example of that enduring bond – but there were definitely tensions between them that needed ironing out, which they both did in a very L.A., therapy-style way, taking into account each other's feelings and giving each other time and space to speak."