Ben Ofoedu has slammed his ex-girlfriend Vanessa Feltz, claiming she stole the “best years of my life” and used him as “eye candy”.
The Phats & Small singer, 51, told Web that he preferred being with his new girlfriend Precious Muir, 34, because the 10-year age gap between him and Vanessa, 61, had “led to insecurity”. .
It's just over a year since Ben and Vanessa ended their 17-year relationship after This Morning's agonizing aunt accused him of infidelity. He later admitted that he had slept with one woman and exchanged inappropriate text messages with another.
But since Vanessa went public, Ben says he has to “pick up the pieces” and his ex “made up a story to make me look like the bad guy” when he felt he had also been abused .
Then came Precious, who he says makes him feel like he's 34 again, the same age he met his former fiancée Vanessa, who he claimed never wanted to marry him.
Ben Ofoedu has slammed his ex-girlfriend Vanessa Feltz, claiming she stole the 'best years of my life' and used him as 'eye candy' (pictured June 2021)
The Phats & Small singer told Web that he preferred being with his new girlfriend Precious Muir (pictured) because the 10-year age gap between him and Vanessa had “led to insecurity”.
It's been just over a year since Ben and Vanessa ended their 17-year relationship after This Morning's agonizing aunt accused him of infidelity (pictured October 2023)
Ben said: “I wasn't very smart in my last relationship.” I didn't look at where the person was and love blinded me. I thought love conquered all, but that's inevitably not the case.
“I gave myself to someone for a quarter of my life and in the end I got nothing from it… it's absolutely heartbreaking.”
“I met Vanessa when I was 34 and I lived in her life for 17 years and it was exactly what she wanted.”
“Now that I'm with Precious, I feel 34 again and I feel like I've got my life back.” I have the same ambitions as when I was 34.
“I'm looking forward to a bright future, many more Valentine's Days, life together and children… and these things are incredibly exciting for me.”
“Precious made me feel like I got my life back.”
Ben met Precious at a showbiz event after turning down the opportunity to find love on dating apps.
She is a model, film producer and reality star who appeared in the Channel 4 series The Circle.
Ben admitted sleeping with one woman and sharing inappropriate text messages with another, telling the Sunday Mirror last year: 'I betrayed the love of my life' (pictured March 2022)
Precious is very aware of the public argument between Ben and Vanessa, but hasn't delved too much into the details, according to the musician (pictured in January 2024).
He says the two are “on the same page” and are honest with each other about their future and how they envision the future of the relationship.
It's a stark contrast to how he felt when he dated Vanessa, who he believes only dated him for his looks and to make her feel young and hip.
He explained: “I was so in love but I felt like I was being dragged out and she just wanted a bit of arm candy while I wanted marriage, kids and real love.”
“To her, I felt like I was just a convenience.” I was a cool, younger guy who gave her a youthful appearance.
“A woman can go through her prime at 34, 35 and 36 and all through her 40s and then she says he did this and makes up a narrative to make me look like the bad guy and I have to picking up the pieces.”
Ben prefers to be the older man in the relationship because, in his opinion, it feels natural and his partner is less likely to become insecure when he is with an older man.
According to the musician, Precious is well aware of the public argument between Ben and Vanessa, but hasn't delved too much into the details.
When asked what he thinks Vanessa thinks about his new relationship, Ben said: “I don't think about her anymore.”
Ben prefers to be the older one in the relationship because, in his opinion, it feels natural and his partner is less likely to become insecure when he is with an older man
Ben is still angry that his ex-fiancée gave him false hope that they would get married one day and she should have settled down with someone else instead of seducing him (Pictured January 2024)
“I don’t recognize her anymore. I used to know everything she thought and said, but she turned out to be a completely different person.
“I don’t care what she thinks about my new relationship.”
“I felt used and like I was a nice addition to their life.” Sometimes you just have to move on. “I'm really happy that my sex life is no longer just in the newspapers.”
The subject of marriage is a sensitive one for Ben, considering how much he wanted to marry Vanessa while they were together.
And he's still angry that his ex-fiancée gave him false hope that they would get married one day and that she should have settled down with someone else instead of dragging him along.
He said: “It was 15 years before anything happened and then she had the audacity to say 'I'll never marry you' and I know she says she just doesn't want to marry the wrong person and…” It It's like you're fooling who?
“It became very, very awkward doing interviews together and coming up with reasons why we weren't married. “She should have said she didn’t want to marry me.”
Ben continued: “She'll never get married, I could bet a million pounds.”
“Instead of coming to someone like me, who was young, in the prime of his life, and leading me down the wrong path, she should have chosen a property developer named John or something like that.”
Web contacted Vanessa for her reaction to Ben's bombshell interview.
Her rep responded: “Vanessa says she was forced to end the relationship because trust was repeatedly broken.”
“She was hoping for a relationship of equals and was and is a big supporter of marriage to the right person.”
“Contrary to some reports, she feels relieved and liberated to be out of the relationship.”
“She would very much welcome the day when he and his associates would stop using her name and giving interviews about her, having not mentioned it once since the breakup.”