Ellie Goulding was given nipple tassels last Christmas.

The singer was left red-faced during her 'Halcyon Days' tour last year when she received the kinky boudoir accessory as a Secret Santa gift from a mystery crew member, and quickly stashed them away after her initial look of ''excitement''.

Reminiscing about their time touring with Ellie, Sons & Lovers' guitarist Tim Hillier-Brook exclusively told BANG Showbiz: ''We hung out quite a bit. It was Christmas on the last day of tour in Southampton, we did a big Christmas dinner with the whole of crew.

''We did Secret Santa and our van driver got Ellie. He's a bit of a numpty, bless him, he's a good mate. He kept saying, 'I've got no idea what to get her!' So on a whim he thought, 'I'll get her some nipple tassles!' So by proxy he got intimate with Ellie.''

The indie band revealed Ellie was shocked at being given the naughty gift, but detected a mischievous glint in her eyes.

Quizzed about her reaction upon seeing them, Tim joked: ''Sort of dismay but slight excitement!''

Drummer Josh Gimber chimed in: ''She was trying to work out who gave them to her! I don't think she ever knew.''

The boys had a blast touring with Ellie, who was extremely supportive of their music and actively helped them gather a fan base of their own.

Singer Tom Lillywhite explained: ''It was unbelievable. It was our first ever tour. You talk about things you want to tick off your list like Brixton Academy. I've been to see loads of shows there growing up so that was a real buzz.''

Josh added: ''Everywhere we've played since, it was like, 'We saw you at the Ellie tour.' It's amazing to have built a fan base.''