Vanessa Feltz 'furious' after ex Ben Ofoedu's comments at his wedding
Friends of Vanessa Feltz reportedly say the TV star is furious her former fiancé Ben Ofoedu is continuing to use her name to "raise his profile" two years on from their bitter split. "It's like Ben is on the wind up with Vanessa," pals claim after the Phats and Small singer took a swipe at his ex during his recent wedding.
Ben, 52, has married Vanessa Brown, 29, in a lavish ceremony at a castle in Carlisle last week. The music star, who was engaged to his original Vanessa for 16 years, didn't solely focus on his bride during their special day.
The singer-songwriter reflected on his failed engagement on his wedding day, declaring: "Never again will I do that. I wasted 17 years of my life. I don't believe in long engagements any more. You don't want to get married if there's a question mark over your engagement."
In February 2023, Vanessa announced the end of their romance on social media. In an interview conducted a month prior, she had alluded to Ben's unfaithfulness and expressed concerns about their age difference in an interview conducted a month prior.
And now, following Ben's latest mention of his former fiancée, Vanessa's pals are speaking out on her behalf. "The split was obviously not exactly amicable, but never did Vanessa think that Ben would still be going on about her now," a friend of the broadcaster has claimed.
"To her it's pretty obvious that every time he speaks of her it raises his profile, and she simply won't play ball. She knows what his game is and she just wishes he could move on too. Vanessa absolutely hates it when Ben uses her in any way to increase his own publicity."
Speaking to the Daily Mail, the star's friend added: "She takes the view that he might not stop – but she certainly won't be party to any of it. It's like Ben is on the wind up with Vanessa."
Newly married Ben's recent wedding reportedly set him back £100,000, and during his heartfelt speech, as reported by The Sun, he confessed to the attendees: "I knew the first time I met Vanessa, I'm going to fall in love with this girl."
He confessed: "It sounds crazy, but I told her that, I knew I was giving her attention, but I had intentions with this girl. So on the second date I told her I wanted to marry her and have children because I thought that by saying it, it separates the wheat from the chaff."
However, his heartfelt declaration was hilariously cut short by his mate and former Another Level star Dane Bowers, who quipped: "That, and you're really old." The cheeky comment sent waves of laughter through the wedding guests.
Reflecting on his journey to finding love again after a tough breakup with Vanessa, Ben expressed his newfound perspective: "Everything happens for a reason. I understand that now."
In an unusual move, Ben chose his wedding day to open up about his past struggles, admitting to the attendees: "It's no secret that I went through a really hard two years. Not everyone knew how difficult a place I was in because I was putting up a brave front, but I was quite down behind the scenes."
Ben's hardships didn't end with his breakup; he also faced the sudden loss of his younger brother at just 47. During the ceremony, he shared with the guests how his deep faith led him to a conversation with God, which ultimately brought him a new music opportunity and the chance to meet his current wife.
He recounted, "I broke down in tears, I was crying uncontrollably. So I got down on my knees and prayed. I asked God, 'is it true? Are you still in business? Will you take a customer like me?" He added: "I know it sounds funny, but it's the truth. Two days later I got a call that changed my life."
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