Vanessa Feltz’ ex, Ben Ofoedu, has taken a swipe at the TV star for ‘stringing’ him along. Before they announced their split in 2023, the pair were engaged for 16 years with no offical wedding plans.
Singer Ben Ofoedu has taken another swipe at his ex fiance, Vanessa Feltz. Although Ben had made a name for himself in music, he catapulted into the spotlight after he struck up a romance with the TV star. Vanessa met Ben in 2005, a few years after her divorce from Michael Kurer. Ben proposed to Vanessa in 2006, leading to an engagement which lasted almost two decades. It was in 2023 that the pair called off their engagement and their relationship.
Ben has now slammed Vanessa, accusing her of “stringing” him along. In a recent interview Ben described the 16-year engagement as “pointless”.
Opening up to the Daily Mail, Ben said: “A long engagement is a massive question mark over the relationship. I just think now, as I look back on it, it was pointless.”
He added: “I was quite clear with Vanessa [Feltz] about that. You want to be engaged to be married. Anybody who wants to keep you engaged for that long is definitely just stringing you along.”
Ben, who had been in conflict with himself for sticking around for so long, added: “I wish I could go back and talk to myself. I don’t even know what I was doing.”
Vanessa previously opened up about her reluctance to get married, despite being engaged to Ben at the time. She revealed that she was left shaken after her previous divorce from Michael following their 17-year marriage.
Vanessa’s split from the father of her children derailed her “to the most terrific extent” and had made her “reluctant” to embark on a second marriage.
Speaking to OK! magazine, the TV presenter explained that while she would “never say never” to tying the knot again, she hadn’t made any plans for a wedding to her fiancé at the time, Ben.
Back in 2022, a year before her split from Ben, Vanessa said: “I was so shocked and broken-hearted and rocked to my absolute core.
“It makes you wary of getting married again. The marriage seemed to be so disposable – it could just be chucked down the toilet in 10 seconds flat, even though I didn’t want it to be and I didn’t realise there was any trouble with it or problems.”
“So it made me feel a bit damaged and reluctant to ever do it again.”
Ben and Vanessa ended their 17-year relationship when Vanessa discovered he had been unfaithful. Her world was rocked over Christmas in 2022 when she discovered that Ben had cheated on her, with the star publicly slamming him in interviews and TV shows.
She also spoke about their relationship in her tell-all book, Vanessa Bares All: Frank, Funny and Fearless, where she called the Phatz and Small singer a ‘one-hit wonder’. When the TV star was asked whether she was worried about his reaction to her claims, she shockingly said: “I don’t think he can read.”
Earlier this year, Ben took another swipe at Vanessa as he broke his silence on her ‘savage’ claims. Ben said he’s ‘incredibly glad’ to no longer be with the presenter as he hit out at her for how she ‘spoke about him’.
Ben claimed that Vanessa’s reaction to their breakup was done in ‘incredibly bad taste’. Slamming the ‘terrible things’ she wrote about him in her book, he insisted there was ‘no need’ for her cruel words. He said: “I just think Vanessa Feltz has done it in incredibly bad taste, and with no class at all.”
He added to MailOnline: “I would rather not have anything to do with her. We were together for 17 years and the way she spoke about me in her book just shows me I’m incredibly glad not to be in her life any more.”
Ben, who has since moved on, is now engaged to his new girlfriend, Vanessa Brown. The pair are reportedly planning to wed this summer.
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