Vanessa Feltz's heartbreaking reason for staying in 'ghastly' relationship with Ben Ofoedu
Vanessa Feltz was with Ben Ofoedu for 16 years before they split in 2023.
Vanessa Feltz stayed in a "ghastly" relationship with Ben Ofoedu to avoid being alone.
The 64-year-old broadcaster had a "horrible divorce" with surgeon Michael Kurer in 2000, and she dreaded going back to single life before the star broke up with Phats and Small singer Ben, 53, in 2023 after 16 years due to him being unfaithful.
Vanessa told the new issue of Bella magazine: "I was scared stiff to be alone, that's the truth.
"I didn't want to end the relationship, even though I knew it was ghastly, because I was scared to be on my own, because I'd had a horrible divorce, and I didn't want to get back to that again.
"And the more years you invest, the less you want it to end because you think, after all these years, 'Better the devil you know,' and now I'm living what I didn't want."
Ben - who got engaged to Vanessa in 2006, but recently accused her of "stringing" him along during their "pointless" engagement because they never got married - has since moved on and got hitched to 29-year-old aesthetics specialist Vanessa Brown in July 2025.
However, his ex-fiancee has tried hard to find a man her "own age", but to no avail.
And the lack of success on the dating scene has made Vanessa feel "demoralised and unattractive".
The star admitted: "I'm still trying, but there's nothing much to report. I wish there was.
"It's hard. I would like to be introduced by a friend, but when it doesn't work, it is hard not to feel demoralised and unattractive."
Since her breakup from Ben, Vanessa - who had an unsuccessful stint on E4's Celebs Go Dating in 2023 - always goes out to places to avoid being home alone.
The TV presenter - who has "given up" on dating apps - said: "I have been at home a maximum of three times. I have gone out because I didn't like the idea of sitting there looking at the wall on my own, until the next day, when I go to work.
"It feels lonely and terribly boring."
Vanessa has been a much-loved figure on TV and radio for over 30 years, starting out in 1992 as a relationship expert on ITV's This Morning, and then going on to host an early morning show on BBC Radio 2 from 2011 until 2022.
But the star - who launched her award-winning eponymous Channel 5 lunchtime talk show in March 2025 - does not think her celebrity status is holding her back from finding love.
In September 2025, Woman magazine asked Vanessa if working in the showbiz industry could have a negative impact on her relationships.
She replied: "I don't really know. I don't suppose it's any tougher than any other industry, in truth. I mean, it's very public, but I think it's hard to keep a relationship going in any job."
