It was an outburst few expected on what should have been the happiest day of his life.
Moments after singer Ben Ofoedu said ‘I do’ to his new wife, Vanessa Brown, at the breathtakingly beautiful medieval Rose Castle in Cumbria last week, he launched a bitter broadside at his ex – another Vanessa, with whom he was in a relationship from 2006 to 2023.
The couple, once a fixture on the showbiz scene, were engaged but never married and Ofoedu clearly wanted to get some grievances off of his chest in an interview on his big day.
Speaking exclusively to the Mail, the Phats and Small star, dressed in a cream wedding suit, reflected on his failed relationship with former This Morning agony aunt Vanessa Feltz.
‘Never again will I do that. I wasted 17 years of my life,’ he said.
‘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.
‘If you don’t want to commit to someone, that’s fine, but don’t pretend you do and hold on to someone for a long period of time. Let them free, let them fly.’
Ms Feltz, 63, has so far maintained a dignified silence in the face of her former lover’s comments, including on her much-loved Channel 5 show Vanessa. And I can reveal why: She’s furious that Ofoedu continues to use her name to grab headlines.
Ben Ofoedu and Vanessa Feltz were in a relationship from 2006 to February 2023
Ben with his new wife Vanessa Brown (dubbed Vanessa 2.0) on their wedding day at Rose Castle in Cumbria
Ms Feltz is said to be fed-up with her ex using her name to gain media attention
A friend of the broadcaster told me: ‘The split was obviously not exactly amicable, but never did Vanessa think that Ben would still be going on about her now.
‘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. 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.’
Indeed, I know first-hand how exasperated Ms Feltz is at Ofoedu still courting media attention. She was said to have been upset and infuriated when Ofoedu gave an interview to a colleague of mine about his relationship with his then-girlfriend, reality star Precious Muir, last year in which he claimed Ms Feltz stole the ‘best years of [his] life’ and used him as ‘eye candy’.
She was also said to be hurt when she had to make a hasty exit from the Back To The Future West End show last year after bumping into Ofoedu and Ms Muir – an incident that made headlines.
Ms Feltz and Ofoedu split in 2023, following allegations that he had been unfaithful. Ms Feltz later told of how she threw herself out of a moving taxi the moment Ofoedu confessed to his infidelity because she couldn’t bear to hear another word.
Their turbulent parting prompted media briefings and counter-briefings and years of simmering resentment which made it difficult for both parties to move on.
Ofoedu did so swiftly, first dating Ms Muir and then falling for Ms Brown – his now-wife, whom he refers to as ‘Vanessa 2.0’. For Ms Feltz, however, things have been more complicated and she was said to have been left devastated by Ofoedu’s reported infidelity. Ms Feltz revealed last year that she had a long-term boyfriend away from the public eye, but friends say she struggled profoundly with single life in the meantime – even appearing on Channel 4’s Celebs Go Dating in a bid to find love.
So what must Ms Feltz have made of Ofoedu, 52, announcing his engagement to ‘other’ Vanessa, who aged 29 is 34 years younger than her, in February after just one month of dating?
After all, his romance with Brown was something of a whirlwind.
It saw Ofoedu propose to Brown during a holiday in New York, getting down on one knee in Central Park just before Valentine’s Day. Their nuptials last week involved a lavish ceremony attended by 72 guests, including a host of famous faces.
Boyzone’s Shane Lynch acted as best man, joined by former bandmate Keith Duffy, S Club 7’s Bradley McIntosh and 911’s Lee Brennan. Guests toasted the happy couple with flutes of £33-a-bottle Jean-Noel Heritage Champagne, before watching a £7,500 drone show that told their love story – which began in April last year, after a chance meeting backstage at a gala dinner celebrating business men and women in Carlisle where Ofoedu was performing.
The happy couple’s first dance was to Boyzone’s Every Day I Love You.
In his vicious interview, Ofoedu refused to mention Ms Feltz by name ‘ever again’, yet continued to make swipes at her.
‘I have been waiting for this feeling,’ Ofoedu said. ‘I have always wanted to be married since I was seven years old. I always wanted to be with someone who would take my surname.
‘I almost gave up on marriage thinking there wasn’t a lady that would walk down the aisle for me.
‘I can’t believe the day has come, it is a dream come true. Feels like I’ve been waiting for this moment all my life. This is the finale of the chapter that was 17 years of my life.’
While Ofoedu avoided using his ex’s name, friends of the couple tell me he and his inner circle refer to her by a nickname: ‘1.0’ – the original Vanessa.
‘It all feels like Vanessa is the “old” one,’ said an associate of Feltz’s. ‘It’s a bit mean. Of course, Ofoedu clearly doesn’t like his ex, but for his friends to say that isn’t very nice.
‘You wonder if – and when – this fallout is ever going to end.’
