Vanessa Feltz has opened up about the aftermath of her breakup from long-term partner Ben Ofoedu and said the heartbreak left her “damaged and wounded”.
In February, the 61-year-old TV presenter announced to her followers that her 16-year relationship with Ofoedu, who is 10 years younger than her, had come to an end after multiple allegations emerged that he had cheated on her.
Speaking to the Mirror recently, Feltz said that while she received praise from fans for appearing “amazingly brave”, she felt “as awful as anybody else would” on the inside.
She continued: “I’ve been so hurt, crushed and dismayed, and worried about the future.”
However, Feltz, who is known for hosting an agony aunt segment on This Morning, recently joined the forthcoming series of Celebs Go Dating in the hope of finding someone who is “trustworthy” to be in a relationship with.
She added that she wanted to find someone who “you can actually believe when they say, ‘I’m going away for the weekend’ and not fear they’re secretly seeing somebody else, or that they’ll succumb to any woman who flutters her eyelashes”.
Feltz said it was important to know that a potential partner would “care about you and [be] loyal to you”, but added: “Loyalty isn’t the only thing – even at my advanced age, you’ve got to fancy them. There’s got to be some kind of chemistry.”
“I still want somebody who is handsome, fun, kind and good company,” she said, adding: “It’s very, very hard to find and I don’t think it’ll be easy.”
The Talk TV star also opened up about what was most daunting about taking part in the show and said that “putting yourself out there and offering your companionship to complete strangers and hoping they want it” is scary.
“I’m putting myself on the path of rejection, when I already feel very damaged and wounded,” she said.
Ben Ofoedu and Vanessa Feltz attend "The Harder They Fall" World Premiere during the 65th BFI London Film Festival at The Royal Festival Hall on October 06, 2021— (Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images)
When she announced her and Ofoedu’s split, Feltz shared the news via a video on Instagram and said she felt “incredibly sad and pretty disappointed and shocked”.
She added: “I am not going to let this defeat me… I am very, very grateful to be alive and I want to carry on feeling that way and I want to celebrate and find fun and laughter anywhere I can.
“I know it is not going to be easy but I am absolutely determined to do it.”
Ofoedu later admitted to the Sunday Mirror that he had “broken her trust” and had sex three times with another woman after meeting her while on tour with his band, Phats & Small.
The singer claimed that the woman contacted Feltz to expose their affair after he wanted to end it. After working through it, Feltz “forgave” Ofoedu, but he admitted to sexting another woman in 2022 after meeting her through Instagram.
Vanessa Feltz confirms her 16-year relationship with her partner Ben Ofoedu has come to and end— (Instagram/Vanessa Feltz)
He also admitted to “flirting inappropriately” with a third woman while playing a show in Skegness in December that year.
“My last conversation with Vanessa was me saying how wonderful she was, how she was the love of my life, and saying how much I loved her and that I’m so, so sorry it’s happened,” he told the publication. “’Please find it in your heart to forgive me’. Those were the last words I said.”
Feltz, who took three weeks off social media before announcing her and Ofoedu’s split, said during an appearance on This Morning that she “had to end” the relationship.
Feeling “terribly humiliated”, she said: “It helps when people say that you shouldn’t feel foolish for having faith in your own partner, or feeling stupid for believing somebody you loved. That’s not ridiculous.
“I feel sad, I feel hurt, terribly humiliated, but lots have said you shouldn’t. But to believe in your own relationship isn’t stupid.”
Feltz and Ofoedu first met in 2005 after her divorce from Michael Kurer five years before. A year later, they got engaged and remained engaged until their split.
The presenter has two children, Allegra Kurer, 37, and Saskia Kurer, 34, from her previous marriage.
