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Ben Ofoedu makes extraordinary swipe at ex Vanessa Feltz in his wedding speech after tying the knot with new wife 'Vanessa 2.0' in lavish £100k ceremony

Ben Ofoedu makes extraordinary swipe at ex Vanessa Feltz in his wedding speech after tying the knot with new wife 'Vanessa 2.0' in lavish £100k ceremony

Daily Mail​4 days ago
Ben Ofoedu made an extraordinary reference to ex Vanessa Feltz as he married his new bride, who he affectionately calls 'Vanessa 2.0', earlier this week.
The Phats & Small singer, 52, was previously set to marry the TV personality, 63, until reports of his infidelity were leaked to the press in 2023.
He has since moved on with aesthetics expert Vanessa Brown, who is 23 years his junior, marrying in a lavish £100,000 ceremony in Cumbria.
However, despite his romance with Celebrity Big Brother star Vanessa ending two years ago, Ben made a savage dig at his ex, claiming he'd 'wasted 17 years' in their relationship.
In an exclusive Mail+ interview, Ben reflected on his relationship with the former This Morning agony aunt, stating: 'Never again will I do that. I wasted 17 years of my life.
'I don't believe in long engagements any more. You don't want to get married if there's a question mark over your engagement.
'If you don't want to commit to someone, that's fine. But don't pretend you do and hold on to someone for a long period of time. Let them free, let them fly.'
Speaking of his joy at finally becoming a husband, Ben shared: 'I have been waiting for this feeling, I have always wanted to be married since I was seven years old. I always wanted to be with someone who would take my surname.
'I almost gave up on marriage, thinking there wasn't a lady that would walk down the aisle for me.
'I can't believe the day has come, it is a dream come true. It feels like I've been waiting for this moment all my life. This is the finale of the chapter that was 17 years of my life.'
After undergoing therapy in the wake of their split, the DJ – who refuses to mention Feltz by name 'ever again' – said the torrid experience gave him clarity.
'I knew what I was getting into going out with someone that talks about their sex life on TV. What did I expect? It was great media attention for her. I went into it with my eyes wide open thinking it wouldn't affect me, but it did.'
As he surveyed the crowd of loved ones, Ofoedu reflected that the most valuable outcome of his break-up with Feltz was 'finding out who my real friends are'.
He said: 'I thought I was friends with everyone but people acted differently towards me [after the break up]. At the time it hurt me but it turned out to be great because it showed me who actually had my back – every member of Boyzone and a couple of boys from Blu who couldn't be here.
'But I know she [Vanessa Feltz] will look at these pictures today and see that everyone here knows the truth about our relationship and the narrative she spun.
'This love with Vanessa [Brown] has made me realise that the other one didn't love me as much as she made out, we had two different definitions of love.'
Insisting he didn't want to make his special day about the 'past', Ofoedu added: 'All of that was worth it and everything happens for a reason because I've found my perfect person.
'The main thing now [is] it's ended happily ever after for me – getting married in a beautiful castle in Carlisle and I'm happy.
'Vanessa is the woman of my dreams, our connection was instant and when I found out she was dreaming of a beautiful white wedding fit for a princess, I thought, 'Ben, it's time to get your Prince Charming boots on and be the fairytale prince she's always dreamed of'.
'As I look back at our beautiful romance it has confirmed my belief that true love is waiting around the corner – you just have to keep the faith.'
Bride Vanessa echoed the sentiment, beaming as she recalled how their connection had been 'instant', adding: 'It was like everything suddenly made sense. When you know, you know.'
She revealed the couple hope to start a family within the next year and are planning a business venture together.
'But I know she [Vanessa Feltz] will look at these pictures today and see that everyone here knows the truth about our relationship and the narrative she spun'
Though the new bride didn't shy away from referencing her husband's former relationship, she dismissed the negativity surrounding it.
She said: 'When it comes to his last relationship, a lot of it is spiteful and untrue.
'I'm the right person for him. Their relationship ended for reasons the public weren't aware of. Everyone always says they have never seen Ben as happy as he is now.
'That's a testament to where he is in his life. He's completely fulfilled when previously he wasn't.
'To be honest I don't care whatsoever, I couldn't care less about her. She is his ex – I have exes – and they're in the past.
'Why would you care?' Brown adds, talking about Feltz. 'Enjoy your retirement, your family and just chill. Stop talking about it, it's so tragic!
'Part of me feels sorry for her but it's my life and I don't care.'
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FKA Twigs and Shia LaBeouf reach settlement in abuse lawsuit
FKA Twigs and Shia LaBeouf reach settlement in abuse lawsuit

BBC News

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  • BBC News

FKA Twigs and Shia LaBeouf reach settlement in abuse lawsuit

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‘You think God didn't make gay men?' Comedian Leslie Jones on religion, grief and getting famous at 47
‘You think God didn't make gay men?' Comedian Leslie Jones on religion, grief and getting famous at 47

The Guardian

time19 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

‘You think God didn't make gay men?' Comedian Leslie Jones on religion, grief and getting famous at 47

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Her grandmother was funny, her dad was funny, her brother was 'kind of goofy funny'; if any of them had become comedians, she would have been out of a job, she says. 'My mom wasn't funny, but she was a very joyful woman.' Yet her childhood and indeed life have not been easy, as she detailed in her memoir, Leslie F*cking Jones, two years ago, which she prefaced: 'Now I'm gonna be honest: some of the details might be vague because a bitch is 55 and she's smoked a ton of weed. A lot of it is hazy, but I will give you the best recollection of it that I can.' Her dad was an army veteran who became an electrical engineer. He was also an alcoholic, who moved the family from Memphis to LA when he got a job at Stevie Wonder's radio station, but then lost that job. Meanwhile, her mother had a stroke when Jones was very young, and both parents died within six months of each other, her dad in 2000, her mum in 2001, when Jones was in her early 30s. 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I remember Lorne [Michaels, producer and creator of SNL] texting me; I had said, 'I'm so sorry how I'm acting,' and he said, 'I talk to my wife about a lot of things, and she says: 'I am so glad you are talking about these things, but can you not talk about them to me? Can you find somebody else?' That's when SNL found me a therapist.' She speaks more highly of therapy than anyone I've ever heard, but really for what it did for her comedy: 'To be a good comic, you have to go deep into yourself, and have empathy and love yourself. It takes years to get fucked up; it's gonna take years to clean up. So, you know when you go to a psychic?' Not really, but go on … 'And you're, like, 'Bitch, you're not going to tell me shit,' and then by the 40th minute, she has broken you down? That was therapy. It made me a better person, made me a better friend, for sure, made me a better comic.' 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For her next move, she says, 'I want to do a serious acting role, maybe play some kind of detective. I could find the serial killer or I could be the serial killer.' She dissolves into laughter, as it is not lost on her how often she talks about serial killers. In a way, there's nothing more serious than her mission as a comic to get funnier the worse things get. 'That's my job, to bring some joy – you can't cry all day. That's what they want, they want you sad. They want you to see no light.' Leslie Jones is on tour in the US from 19 September to 22 November

Ozzy Osbourne: Bandmates and fans pay tribute to Black Sabbath singer
Ozzy Osbourne: Bandmates and fans pay tribute to Black Sabbath singer

BBC News

time19 minutes ago

  • BBC News

Ozzy Osbourne: Bandmates and fans pay tribute to Black Sabbath singer

Fans, musicians and former bandmates have paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, the frontman of pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, who has died aged Sabbath have "lost our brother", says the band's co-founder Tony Iommi, while bassist Terence "Geezer" Butler remembered their final gig and drummer Bill Ward shared a photo of them music icon's death on Tuesday, announced by his family, came just weeks after his band played their farewell gig in his home city of Birmingham."It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning," his family said. "He was with his family and surrounded by love." Osbourne, known for energetic and controversial live shows, inspired a generation of musicians. US heavy metal band Metallica said "it's impossible to put into words" what Osbourne meant to them."Hero, icon, pioneer, inspiration, mentor, and, most of all, friend are a few that come to mind," Metallica members Noah Abrams and Ross Halfin wrote on rock band Aerosmith called him "our brother in rock", saying its love "goes out to... the millions around the world who felt his fire".Less than three weeks ago, the self-styled "prince of darkness" performed in Birmingham supported by many of the musicians he had inspired, including Metallica and Guns 'n' Corgan, lead singer of The Smashing Pumpkins - one of the many bands that performed alongside them - said: "Some of the biggest musical artists in the world travelled from all over the world to be there literally to celebrate the legacy of this band."It's one of the greatest musical moments of my life," added Corgan, who spoke to BBC Radio 4's The World Tonight. "For him to have been that close to death on July 5 and still get up there and perform like he promised... Wow! That puts him in a category of his own," Sammy Hagar, the lead vocalist of Van Halen who also played at the farewell concert for Osbourne, wrote on shared fond memories of Osbourne's larger-than-life magazine's senior entertainment editor Jem Aswad recalled the first time he met Osbourne, he was "nervous" to meet the prince of darkness."It was just this sort of really bizarre scene," Aswad told the entered the room near noon in a bathrobe, having "just woken up", wearing loads of jewellery and accessories and "a lot of gold", Aswad said, though adding that Osbourne was "perfectly nice, perfectly friendly".Meanwhile, fans gathered at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, where they laid flowers on the star dedicated to Osbourne. "Osbourne was more than a rock legend - he was a cultural icon who reshaped music and defied expectations," said Ana Martinez, the venue's Sabbath were pioneers in the heavy metal genre of music, writing classic tracks like Paranoid, War Pigs and Iron leaving the band in 1979 over rising tensions with its other members, Osbourne had a lengthy solo music career releasing more than a dozen albums. His debut single released the next year, Crazy Train, is arguably one of his most famous is survived by his wife Sharon and six children, three from each of his two marriages.

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