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Devastated Ed Sheeran was reduced to tears during a trip to Liberia when he met Peaches, a young girl who lost her father at the hands of Ebola. 

The 26-year-old Thinking Out Loud hitmaker collaborated with Comic Relief to visit the stricken country for the forthcoming telethon, aired on March 24, where he was left an emotion wreck when the little girl revealed her plight. 

After singing with Peaches, where she gave him a rendition of a track she sings in honour of her father, Ed admitted he could not believe how hard he was hit by her story and the effects the disease had on the country.

Ed joins a bevy of stars to visit third world countries in aid of Comic Relief, an annual telethon founded in 1985, in which he headed to Liberia to meet with those hit by the Ebola crisis, which swept the country in 2014 and 2015 killing nearly 5,000 sufferers. 

While surrounded by Peaches and her peers, the hitmaker asked the little girl: 'When Ebola hit what was it like?' Clearly traumatised by the memory, she responded: 'My father was sick. He was very ill and started to vomit and go to the toilet a lot.'

She recalled the harrowing moment in which her family discovered their lives were to change forever at the hands of the cruel disease: 'They went to the Ebola treatment unit. Early the next day we were told he had died.'

Addressing the cost of schooling, Ed asked Peaches when she last went to school, as she explained: 'Since he passed away during the Ebola crisis I have not been to school. My mother doesn't have any money. I sing this song so I remember my dad.'

Sorrowful: Devastated Ed Sheeran was reduced to tears during a trip to Liberia when he met Peaches, a young girl who lost her father at the hands of Ebola

Hard hitting: The 26-year-old Thinking Out Loud hitmaker collaborated with Comic Relief to visit the stricken country for the forthcoming telethon, where he was left an emotion wreck when the little girl revealed her plight

After his meeting with the youngster, it seemed Ed was hit hard by what he had witnessed as he spoke to the camera about what he expected from the trip and what he was feeling since meeting the locals. 

He said: 'The last thing I wanted this trip to be is the celebrity who comes over to Africa and cried on TV and says send you’re money over.

'I wanted to be like everything’s positive, everything’s great but singing with that girl. Her dad taught her how to sing and she got really choked up. 

'I watch Comic Relief every single year and this is always what celebrities do and I always think is it always that bad and I turn up and it really is... When we sang together they were in such high spirits despite everything they’d been through.

Listening in: Ed sat with the youngsters as they joined together in belting out hits 

Tough: After his meeting with the youngster, it seemed Ed was hit hard by what he had witnessed as he spoke to the camera about what he expected from the trip and what he was feeling since meeting the locals

'It was an incredibly eye-opening experience and I’m really proud to support Comic Relief and see what they are doing to help these children have a better future.' 

The Ebola epidemic occurred in Liberia from 2014 to 2015, while also hitting neighbouring countries Guinea and Sierra Leone, with the first cases appearing in March 2014. 

Throughout the epidemic there were 10,675 reported cases of the disease in results gathered in April last year while the death count as of April 2015 stood at 4,809. 

Touched: 'It was an incredibly eye-opening experience and I’m really proud to support Comic Relief and see what they are doing to help these children have a better future.'

Battled: Throughout the epidemic there were 10,675 reported cases of the disease in results gathered in April last year while the death count as of April 2015 stood at 4,809

Excitement for this year's Comic Relief is gaining fever pitch since the announcement that the Love Actually cast were reuniting 14 years after the original movie aired. 

The Love Actually reboot has sent fans into a frenzy, with a host of stars confirming their return, including Hugh Grant, Keira Knightley, Andrew Lincoln, Lucia Moniz, Liam Neeson, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Olivia Olson, Bill Nighy, Marcus Brigstocke and Rowan Atkinson.

Several stars have been seen filming for the reboot of Love Actually so far - including Colin Firth, who looked in good spirits as he reprised his role of Jamie, who fell in love with his Portuguese housekeeper Aurelia. 

Honest: Before the outbreak of the Ebola epidemic the country had 50 doctors for its population of 4.3 million. The country's health system was seriously weakened by a civil war that ended in 2003

Tough stuff: The Ebola epidemic occurred in Liberia from 2014 to 2015, while also hitting neighbouring countries Guinea and Sierra Leone, with the first cases appearing in March 2014

The film follows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London.

Director and screenwriter Richard Curtis revealed that he thoroughly enjoyed working on the script for the 10-minute sequel. 

Ed's Comic Relief collaboration is yet another charitable endeavour by the world famous star who recently threw his support behind the #IAMWHOLE Mental Health Campaign, which aims to combat stigma and normalise mental health difficulties.

Ed acts as an ambassador for EACH, the East Anglia's Children's Hospice, an organisation that counts the Duchess Of Cambridge as a patron. He has also supported the Elton John AIDS Foundation, GRAMMY Foundation and Musicians on Call. 

Hard hitting: Ed acts as an ambassador for EACH, the East Anglia's Children's Hospice, an organisation that counts the Duchess Of Cambridge as a patron

Belting it out: While his charitable efforts have hurtled him into prominence, his new album is not far behind as his new record ÷ became one of the fastest-selling releases ever in the UK, shifting 432,000 copies in just three days after hitting shelves on Friday

While his charitable efforts have hurtled him into prominence, his new album is not far behind as his new record ÷ became one of the fastest-selling releases ever in the UK, shifting 432,000 copies in just three days after hitting shelves on Friday.

His third album is now sitting on the records for first-week sales alongside Adele's 2015 smash 25 and Be Here Now by Oasis in 1997 - both of which hit the top with an eye-popping 800,000 each.

He previously admitted he wants to challenge Adele's album sales, after explaining in an interview with GQ: 'Adele is the one person who's sold more records than me in the past 10 years. She's the only person I need to sell more records than. 

'That's a big feat because her last album sold 20 million. But if I don't set her as the benchmark then I'm selling myself short.'

Red Nose Day Actually will air as a part of BBC One's Red Nose Day coverage on March 24 and on March 25 in the US on NBC

Back together: Excitement for this year's Comic Relief is gaining fever pitch since the announcement that the Love Actually cast were reuniting 14 years after the original movie aired (Richard Curtis, Martine McCutcheon and Hugh Grant pictured on-set)