Ben Ofoedu has admitted he now 'understands' suicidal thoughts following the breakdown of his 16-year relationship. The Phats & Small singer, 50, was engaged to TV star Vanessa Feltz but the pair split earlier this year after Ben admitted to cheating.
Ben has now said he was left 'heartbroken' after the break-up and 'spiralled out of control' after receiving abuse from fans over his infidelity. However the singer has now revealed that he is now focusing on his new theatre show Tony and Tina's Wedding, which he says 'saved his life'.
Vanessa was left heartbroken after finding out that Ben had been having an affair while he was away from home starring in pantomime. His ‘other woman’ messaged the former Celebrity Big Brother star's daughter Allegra, picking Christmas Day to reveal the infidelity, reports The Mirror.
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A few weeks later, Vanessa took to Instagram to share a video announcing the split, telling her fans: "I haven’t been on Instagram for three weeks, and that’s because my relationship with Ben is over after 16 years."
Speaking exclusively to the MailOnline following the break-up, Ben said: "Tony And Tina's Wedding literally saved my life. Like, literally saved my life. I had two major griefs. I had my brother pass away and then shortly after that, my relationship with Vanessa was no more.
"That's a 17 year relationship. And man, I was just spiralling out of control. I just felt like everything was closing in on me. I kind of understand now how people feel that there's no way out and they just want to end it all."
Ben says he was trolled in the aftermath of his split with Vanessa, saying he started to feel like a "really horrible person" after reading the comments.
Vanessa told fans she was also 'devastated' after the break-up, taking to Instagram in tears, saying when the 'trust is gone there's nothing left'. The TalkTV host recently praised her This Morning colleagues for helping her through the 'dark times'.
She said that both Holly Willoughby and Alison Hammond had been there for her as she recovered from the shock of discovering Ben's infidelity.
"I’ve known Alison for about 21 years, and Holly for 10 – it’s a long time," she says. "We’re proper friends in real life. It’s not just a TV thing, it’s a real thing. Both of those women are 100 per cent there for me, and have been in various different circumstances.
"Without question, they’re among the first women I hear from. They’re great women and they’re great friends."
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