Vanessa Feltz’s ex Ben Ofoedu, 52, has revealed he’s engaged to his new girlfriend Vanessa Brown, 29, after a MONTH of dating.
Phats & Small singer Ben popped the question during a holiday in New York, dropping to one knee in Central Park in a surprise proposal just before Valentine’s Day.
‘Vanessa was completely surprised,’ an insider told The Sun. ‘They were walking through the park, reminiscing about Elf, when Ben suddenly proposed.
‘It was so heartfelt — happy tears, laughter, and, of course, an immediate ”yes!”’
The couple were said to have celebrated afterwards with champagne at The Plaza Hotel and are already planning a small, intimate wedding for later this year.
The proposal comes after a whirlwind one-month-long romance which saw exclusively reveal the news of their relationship.
Vanessa Feltz’s ex Ben Ofoedu, 52, has revealed he’s engaged to his new girlfriend Vanessa Brown, 29, after a MONTH of dating
The couple were said to have celebrated afterwards with champagne at The Plaza Hotel and are already planning a small, intimate wedding for later this year
Ben’s new relationship comes almost two years following the breakdown of his long-term romance with Vanessa Feltz (pictured in 2021), who was left distraught after discovering the singer had been unfaithful
Ben met aesthetics expert Vanessa, who is from Carlisle, last April at an awards ceremony where he performed with group Boyz on Block and she later asked him to appear on her podcast The Late Late Aesthetics Show.
But the couple didn’t connect romantically until Ben’s relationship with ex-girlfriend Precious Muir ended in November over them wanting different things for the future.
Sources close to Ben, who was with This Morning agony aunt Vanessa Feltz, 62, for 16 years until they separated in 2023 over his infidelities, say he’s calling his new girlfriend ‘Vanessa 2.0’.
An insider revealed to : ‘Ben is smitten with Vanessa, he’s really hoping she’s The One after multiple failed romances… he wants someone to build a future with.’
‘The couple have spent the beginning of the year on holiday together in Dubai, which has been incredibly romantic,’ they continued.
‘Vanessa is everything Ben’s been looking for, she’s ambitious and driven, he is definitely attracted to her focus and how she’s furthering herself in business.
‘His split from Vanessa Feltz haunted him for years so some people may question how he’s happy to date another woman with the same name, but his new Vanessa marks the start of an exciting chapter.’
Ben and Vanessa are currently enjoying their first holiday together, staying at hotel NH Collection Dubai The Palm, where they met with Another Level singer Dane Bowers for a night out this weekend.
Ben recently hinted at how serious things were getting with Vanessa as he told the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden that they are already thinking about starting a family
Ben met aesthetics expert Vanessa last April at an awards ceremony where he performed with group Boyz on Block and she later asked him to appear on her podcast
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Vanessa Feltz's ex Ben Ofoedu reveals how he REALLY feels about her: EDEN CONFIDENTIAL
Ben recently hinted at how serious things were getting with Vanessa as he told the Daily Mail’s Richard Eden that they are already thinking about starting a family.
‘We’re very much on the same page about having a baby,’ he said after his split from Precious came about because she wasn’t ready to have children.
‘Who knows? There might soon be some little Ofoedus.’
revealed that Ben and ex-girlfriend Precious had parted ways in November following a year together over the former model’s hesitation to start a family.
Precious, 40, said at the time: ‘Ben needs a partner who can settle down right now and have children sooner rather than later.
‘Due to our age difference, for me, I would like to wait a bit longer, perhaps within five years’ time, who knows.’
Ben’s new relationship comes almost two years following the breakdown of his long-term romance with broadcaster Vanessa, who was left distraught after discovering the singer had been unfaithful.
Vanessa told of how she threw herself out of a moving taxi the moment Ben confessed to the infidelity because she couldn’t bear to hear another word.
But the couple didn’t connect romantically until Ben’s relationship with ex-girlfriend Precious Muir ended in November over them wanting different things (pictured January 2024)
In an interview, she said: ‘My coat was torn. Blood was seeping from a cut on my arm. I assumed he would stop the cab and follow to see if I’d survived the leap. He didn’t.’
After their break-up, Ben spoke to about how he felt the author had no interest in making their relationship official, alleging their 10-year age gap ‘bred insecurity’.
In February last year, Ben said: ‘I gave myself to someone for a quarter of my life and ultimately I got nothing from it… it’s absolutely heartbreaking.
‘I met Vanessa when I was 34 and I lived 17 years in her life and it was all what she wanted.’
The former couple were engaged to marry but Ben alleged he felt Vanessa, who appeared on E4’s Celebs Go Dating following their separation, only stayed with him to make her feel younger.
He explained: ‘I was so in love but I felt like I was being strung along and she just wanted a bit of arm candy, whereas I wanted marriage and kids and real love.
‘For her, I felt I was just a convenience. I was a cooler, younger guy that gave her a youthful appearance.’