Ben Ofoedu accuses Vanessa Feltz of 'stringing' him along during their engagement
Ben Ofoedu has accused his ex-fiancee Vanessa Feltz of "stringing" him along and not getting married - despite being engaged for several years.
Ben Ofoedu has accused his ex-fiancee Vanessa Feltz of "stringing" him along during their "pointless" engagement.
The 63-year-old TV presenter ended her 16-year romance with the 52-year-old singer-songwriter in 2023 and Ben - who is now set to get hitched to Vanessa Brown, 29, in July - cannot understand why they did not get married despite being engaged for a lengthy period.
The Phats and Small singer told the Daily Mail newspaper's Eden Confidential column: "I was in a long engagement, and it didn't work.
"A long engagement is a massive question mark over the relationship.
"I just think now, as I look back on it, it was pointless.
"I was quite clear with Vanessa [Feltz] about that. You want to be engaged to be married.
"Anybody who wants to keep you engaged for that long is definitely just stringing you along."
Looking back at the romance that lasted over a decade, Ben questioned why he was so clueless.
He added: "I wish I could go back and talk to myself.
"I don't even know what I was doing."
Getting married is something Ben has always dreamt of, and he is thrilled he will finally be able to make his wish come true when he officially declares his love for the entrepreneur at a Lake District castle in July.
Talking about their three-day wedding bash that will be full of "entertainment and fun", the star said: "I'm so excited to be getting married - it's one of the dreams I've always had."
Vanessa - who is in the process of sorting out the details for her and Ben's big day with her mum - added: "I love party planning, and my mum loves party planning, so this is the real challenging test."
And the pair are already looking ahead to the future and thinking of starting a family "soon".
She revealed: "We want to get married because we want to start a family soon and, spiritually, it's the right thing to do."
Vanessa - who has not spoken to Ben since their split - previously admitted it was "a hell of a mistake" taking back her ex-partner after claiming he cheated on her.
The host of her daytime eponymous show on 5 - previously known as Channel 5 - asked subscribers to her YouTube channel earlier this year if 'Love Island' star Harriet Blackmore should "forgive Ronnie [Vint]?" and if people "should ever forgive a cheater?"
In a personal message to the contestant on the ITV reality series, Vanessa advised: "So listen Harriet, please. This is Vanessa Feltz talking to you Harriet. And I'm somebody who famously did take back a cheat.
"That was in 2017.
"So I did and I deeply, deeply regret it. It was a hell of a mistake and I wasted, well, from 2017 to 2022, a really long time.
"Five years of my life I'm never going to get back."
