Rita Ora was so close to the Christmas No.1… then along came Ed and Beyoncé

THERE were no hard feelings, Rita insists, when Ed Sheeran prevented her from claiming the Christmas No.1.

Her smash Anywhere was so close to becoming her first UK chart-topper since I Will Never Let You Down in 2014.

Rita spent weeks battling Camila Cabello’s Havana, with only a handful of sales separating the two tracks. But then Ed, 26, dropped Perfect, his duet with Beyoncé.

‘He played it to me the night before it came out,’ Rita revealed. ‘I was like, “F***, it’s so good, of course you’re going to do this to me!”’ They’re still friends, though. ‘I’m fine, I’ll take getting beaten by Ed and Beyoncé, they’re the best,’ Reets told us.

Author: Tom Stichbury