Ellie Goulding writes a lot about love in her music. But how does she navigate love in real life?

The lovely and talented British singer, who dated Skrillex and was linked to Ed Sheeran, in addition to scoring a few looks and compliments from Niall Horan, spoke about love and heartbreak to Cosmopolitan, and her answers were surprisingly refreshing and inspiring.

When asked what she learned from navigating a heartbreak, Goulding responded, "To be in the present moment. A lot of the despair in breaking up with someone is thinking about how you're going to cope in the future. 'What's going to happen to me? Who am I going to find next? What am I going to do without him?'"

Those are all normal emotions and feelings that anyone who has ever been dumped has felt and "gets."

But Goulding reminded us not to dwell because it keeps you stagnant. "But not being completely present prevents you from being happy and alive," she said. "As soon as you stop relying so heavily on what happened in the past, you end up being able to deal."

In essence, you have to move on and look ahead, since that's the direction you are going. What great advice from the gorgeous Goulding.

The singer also admitted that she used to "put men on a pedestal" but has unlearned that behavior, too.

"I decided to remedy that, and that's why I'm single now," she said. "I've realized I don't need a guy. I've got amazing, awesome, stupid friends in the best way possible. I don't rely on a guy for anything."

Good friends are just as worthy of your time as a significant other!

Goulding also shared her prior aspirations, saying that music was not her first career choice. "I wanted to be an actress, which is weird because I come from an absolute non-performing-arts family," she shared. "My mom worked in a supermarket, and my stepdad drove a truck. I've met a lot of American families who are very encouraging and supportive. But my mom was busy thinking about how she was going to afford to pay for everything from rent to school to dinner. Supporting something unrealistic just didn't happen."

And while you're here, check out Ellie during the shoot, doing calisthenics.

Watch Ellie Goulding's Cosmo Shoot Footage

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