Vanessa Feltz ‘in bits’ and ‘beyond devastated’ over Ben Ofoedu split despite putting on brave face

The broadcaster shocked fans when she announced her split from the Phats and Small singer after 16 years together
"The Harder They Fall" Opening Night Gala - 65th BFI London Film Festival
1/15
Tina Campbell13 February 2023
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

While she has vowed to put on a brave face publicly, behind the scenes, Vanessa Feltz is said to be “in bits” and “beyond devastated” over her split from Ben Ofoedu after he admitted to cheating on her.

The broadcaster, 60, announced earlier this month that she and the 50-year-old Phats & Small singer had gone their separate ways after 16 years together.

Speaking with Ulrika Jonsson on her TalkTV show on Thursday, Feltz said she’s trying to stay positive for the sake of her audience, saying: “I’m doing my best to put on a brave face. After all, I’m at work, this is my job.”

She added: “I don’t want to burden my listeners and viewers by looking thoroughly miserable so they dread watching the programme and thinking, ‘oh God, is Vanessa falling apart before our very eyes?’ So I’m trying to do a professional job and bear up.”

Vanessa Feltz pictured with Ben Ofoedu in happier times
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

And while she is doing her best trying to stick to her word, even seen giving the thumbs up to photographers when out and about, behind closed doors she is said to be in turmoil.

A source told OK! magazine: “Vanessa has been stepping out with a smile on her face and getting on with things but she is understandably in bits about the whole thing.

“She is beyond devastated. She’s distracting herself with her work, which is like her therapy. She is finding it extremely difficult, but she’s attempting to walk away from this with her head held high.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in