Vanessa Feltz’s ex hits back after she claimed she was his ‘mummy’

Vanessa Feltz wrote in The Mail on Sunday’s YOU magazine this week that ‘it’s a big fat bore being “mummy” to a hulking great adult’.Apparently referring to her ex-fiance Ben Ofoedu, she claimed that the former pop star ten years her junior ‘cheated so ferociously I had to throw him out’.Now, Ben has hit back, claiming that the distinguished broadcaster, 64, ‘abused’ him during their long relationship.‘For 17 years she emasculated me, verbally abused me, and made me feel small,’ he tells me. ‘When you’re in an abusive relationship, you don’t even know you’re being abused.’The Phats & Small singer claims: ‘She spoke to me in a derogatory way in front of so many people and would tell me off like a mother. She would constantly tease me and say that what I did wasn’t important.‘I really knew we’d hit rock bottom because she said to me once that if we ever finished, “No one would care about you because I’m a national treasure, and you’re just a one-hit wonder”. So I just became this kind of lapdog that was adjacent to her life.’ Vanessa Feltz wrote in The Mail on Sunday’s YOU magazine this week that ‘it’s a big fat bore being “mummy” to a hulking great adult’ – apparently referring to her ex-fiance Ben OfoeduHis comments come as former Radio 2 star Vanessa prepares to follow Holly Willoughby’s example and launch her own YouTube show, filmed at her home in St John’s Wood, London, known as Feltz Towers.‘She’s incredibly controlling, incredibly domineering, and when you go to Feltz Towers, all that matters is Vanessa,’ Ben claims. ‘It’s a world of Vanessa.’Ben has now found love with beauty entrepreneur Vanessa Brown, whom he affectionately calls ‘Vanessa 2.0’. They were married last year in a lavish £100,000 ceremony at Rose Castle in Cumbria.‘Now I’m in a healthy relationship, married and happy,’ he says. ‘I think to myself, “How did I do that for 17 years?” Always on the back foot, always watching my Ps and Qs around her.’Feltz declines to respond to Ben’s claims.Hannah reveals her next role – being a mum English actress and singer Hannah Arterton has revealed that she’s expecting her first child (pictured right with sister Gemma)Hannah Arterton has credited big sister Gemma with helping guide her through her early acting career. Now, she may be calling on her for a different kind of advice.The actress, 37, has revealed that she’s expecting her first child with her husband, musician Chris Hyson, 38.Former Bond girl Gemma, 40, has two young sons with the Irish actor Rory Keenan. Hannah shared photos on social media of herself in a red dress during a European getaway and of an empty cot at home in south London.‘Summer ’26 so far,’ she captioned it, prompting a flurry of congratulations from friends.Hollywood star Taron Egerton has revealed that he no longer speaks to his father, David.The Merseyside-born actor, 36, moved to Anglesey in north Wales with his mother after his parents split up when he was two years old.‘There was a point where I pushed the ejector seat and haven’t seen him since,’ explains the star of films including Kingsman and Sir Elton John biopic Rocketman.Speaking on the Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard podcast, he adds: ‘He’s living his own life and doing his own thing and I’ll always love him. I just don’t think we work very well in terms of our relationship.’Spidey thwarts Spencer!  Vogue Williams and Spencer Matthews attend the 79th Cannes Film Festival in May 2026 Tom Holland and Zendaya recently celebrated their wedding at Beaverbrook Hotel in SurreySpider-Man stars Tom Holland and Zendaya’s wedding celebrations at Beaverbrook Hotel last week proved a fly in the ointment for Spencer Matthews’ birthday plans.TV presenter Vogue Williams, 40, who is married to former Made In Chelsea star Spencer, reveals that she had hoped to take him and their three children to the Surrey Hills estate for his 38th birthday. ‘I was, like, it would be nice to go to a hotel near London so I’m near my doctor if I have to come back,’ says Vogue, who is pregnant with their fourth child. ‘We were going to go up to Spenny’s parents’ place in Scotland, but I wasn’t allowed to fly, so I was meant to go to Beaverbrook, but Zendaya and Tom Holland had gotten married there, so they were totally booked out.’Sleep’s overrated, says TV chef TomStruggling to sleep in the successive heatwaves? Tom Kerridge can’t relate.‘I find sleep overrated,’ declares the Great British Menu star, who owns four pubs including the Hand And Flowers in Marlow, Buckinghamshire, which is the only British boozer with two Michelin stars.‘I’ll get five hours. After that, if I wake up early and the sun’s up… I love it now.’ Five hours represents something of a lie-in compared with his earlier days as a chef.‘The Saturday night you could finish work, go out on the beer, have a great night, get to bed at 3am, and the alarm goes off three hours later because you’ve got the breakfast shift on the Sunday. It’s not pleasant, but I loved it.’Blur drummer Dave Rowntree, who stood for Labour in Mid Sussex at the last general election, hopes Andy Burnham could help revive his political career. ‘I’ve known Andy a long time,’ Rowntree, 62, tells me at the private view of his photography exhibition at Indelible Fine Art in Brighton, East Sussex. ‘Each time I do it [stand for political office] I come away thinking, “I will never ever do it again”. But if an interesting opportunity comes up, for a part of the world that I love, I might do it again.’ £3.7m Doctor Who star can afford to lord itFormer Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi, who turned down a spot on Celebrity Traitors, is clearly in no need of a stint on Claudia Winkleman’s hit show.Newly published accounts reveal that the Glaswegian actor, 68, notched up £3.7million in riches at Tod Productions and Asparia, the private companies into which he channels his earnings.Their ongoing profits, reported for the year to April, include a £630,000 profit for 2026 – the equivalent of a canny £12,000 in weekly earnings.Capaldi was the 12th Time Lord, travelling in the Tardis between 2014 and 2017.