Vanessa Feltz’s world came crashing down at the end of last year when she discovered her fiancé and partner of 16 years, Ben Ofoedu, had been cheating – leading to their bitter split.
And last week saw another dramatic turn when Phats & Small singer Ben, 51, denied that he was a serial cheat, instead claiming their break-up was due to Vanessa’s refusal to marry him.
He said, “Marriage means a lot to me, and I wanted to be married and she didn’t want that, so we were going in different directions. I always wanted to be a married man, my mum and dad were married, it is a lot to do with my faith as well.
“I was so in love so I didn’t see that, and I thought one day we would get married, but that wasn’t on the cards… she just wanted a companion.”
Now pals say while Ben’s comments really “twisted the knife”, Vanessa is more determined than ever to find a new man and put Ben behind her for good.
The insider says, “Ben’s latest comments understandably hurt Vanessa a lot and further twisted the knife on a wound that has yet to heal and is still extremely raw.
“She was extremely angry over his latest remarks – accusing him of trying to change the narrative and weasel out of his own mistakes by trying to pin the blame on her when he had already spoken out and confessed.
“But as upsetting as this is, it’s also helped Vanessa confirm her deepest fears about Ben and validate how right she was to end things – insisting that he is not the person she fell in love with all those years ago.”
Vanessa, 61, first met Ben in 2005 and he proposed a year later with 50 red roses.
Last year, the BBC Radio presenter and This Morning star revealed that she and Ben had sex “whenever and wherever” they wanted – even once leaving him a trail of celery and leeks from their Sunday roast leading up to her naked in the bedroom.
But their relationship was hit by a bombshell when Ben confessed that he had slept with an older woman three times after meeting her in Ibiza.
Heartbreakingly, a woman claiming to be his lover sent “abusive” social media messages to Vanessa’s grown-up daughters, Allegra and Saskia, on Christmas Day last year, leading to Vanessa ending their engagement.
Vanessa later revealed that he had also been sexting a younger fan and had been spotted flirting with another woman at Butlins.
Her engagement to Ben was Vanessa’s second – after being married to her ex, and Allegra and Saskia’s father, Michael Kurer, for 17 years before the pair were divorced in 2000.
At the time, Michael, who had embarked on numerous affairs, walked out of the family home, with Vanessa revealing that she had “begged” him to stay.
And following her recent heartbreak, Saskia revealed to Closer, “Mum has had a really tough time of it this year. It’s just been a horrible, scary and very public heartbreak, and she’s been deeply lonely.”
However, her stint on Celebs Go Dating in the hope of finding love again didn’t quite go to plan. Feisty Vanessa snapped at the show’s dating agents, Anna Williamson and Paul Carrick Brunson, for setting her up with an “identikit” of Ben and ignored her dates, before seeming to undermine their jobs.
But now the source says she hasn’t given up, adding, “Ben’s behaviour, words and actions since their split have ultimately driven her out of her heartache faster. While the backlash from Celebs Go Dating was a blow, Vanessa has learnt from that experience and feels like she can now open herself up to love again.
“All she wants is to move on from this pain and heartache, and she feels empowered to get back out there and find someone new.”