Vanessa Feltz’s ex-fiancé Ben Ofoedu has opened up about his split from the TV host and addressed rumours that he had “cheated” on the star.
The Phats and Small musician, 50, met the This Morning host, 60, through mutual friends in 2001 and began dating four years later, before becoming engaged in 2006.
However, The Sun reported that Vanessa, who recently announced her split from Ben, discovered allegations of his infidelity when her daughter Allegra received text messages revealing Ben’s behaviour.
READ MORE: Vanessa Feltz ‘sad and disappointed’ as she splits from fiancé Ben Ofoedu after 16 years
It was rumoured that Vanessa had discovered sexts between him and fan on Christmas Day, with the TV presenter subsequently asking Ben to leave their £3.5m home in London following their split.
(Image: Getty Images)
Opening up about the cheating rumours and their split in a recent interview with The Sunday Mirror, Ben revealed that he has been doing “a lot of soul searching” following the break-up with Vanessa, and that he has since been living with a church friend after being kicked out of their home.
“I don’t know why I did it. Someone will tell me one day. I’m still processing it. It’s still fresh,” said Ben.
“I should have got some help after the first dalliance. I knew there was an insecurity. But I papered over the cracks and if you don’t tackle something it reared its head. I cheated because I was insecure.”
(Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images for Sony Pictures)
The Sunday Mirror reported that Ben previously revealed to Vanessa that he slept with an anonymous woman while performing in Ibiza in 2015, with the woman contacting Vanessa eight months later about the affair.
Ben moved out of their home for a while during the same year, but moved back in again after Vanessa forgave him.
However in 2022, Ben struck up a friendship with a fan on Instagram, which later turned into a secret sexting relationship where Ben was sent X-rated messages.
(Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Vanessa caught sight of the messages on Christmas Day, and was dealt a further blow when another Phats and Small fan contacted her to claim that Ben had made sexually suggestive comments towards her, while the band were performing a gig in Butlins last year.
She subsequently asked him to leave their North London home, and reflecting on their split, Ben said: “I’ve broken her trust. She gave me another chance. I’ve gone and destroyed that.”
He added: “So many people have been hurt, not just Vanessa. I was so close to her grandchildren, her daughters, their husbands. We’re a close knit family. My family have been appalled by it as well. There’s been a lot of pain.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
