Ed Sheeran and Nicole Scherzinger reportedly started dating after Scherzinger recently broke up with British Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton. Sheeran, 24, and Scherzinger, 37, went on a series of dates and became very close after Scherzinger told the "Thinking Out Loud" singer his music helped her get over her ex-boyfriend, reported The Sun.

The pair was spotted last month by some fans in The Station Hotel in Suffolk, England near where Sheeran grew up. Sheeran and Scherzinger have gone out on a number of low-key evenings together, according to Yahoo! News.

"As far as he's concerned they were in the early stages of dating and he's been open about it with close friends and colleagues. It may not develop beyond those dates but they're definitely tight," a friend of Sheeran told The Sun.

"They're extremely close. Nicole says he is the male version of her," a pal of Scherzinger added.

Sheeran invited Scherzinger backstage after his performance at a record-breaking three consecutive sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium. She posted a picture of the pair on Instagram after his final gig on July 12. "Okay okay you win @edsheeran, you're taller," she captioned the photo.

On July 27 in Hollywood Scherzinger reportedly dedicated a performance of her hit song "Don't Cha" to Sheeran. "This is for you, Ed," the singer said.

Sheeran recently split from 24-year-old Athina Andrelos, who works as a Food Team production assistant at The Jamie Oliver Group, in March, according to the Daily Mail. He was also linked to singer Ellie Goulding and Irish model Louise Johnson.