Vanessa Feltz has been on our screens on Celebs Go Dating in recent weeks as she gets back out there in the dating world, but according to a pal of the This Morning star's ex Ben Ofoedu, it hasn't been easy for him.
Media personality Ryan-Mark Parsons is best known for previously being the youngest ever candidate to appear on The Apprentice, and became pals with Ben, 51, around the time he performed in Tony n' Tina's Wedding, a play which involves the audience as pretend guests at a fictional Italian wedding.
The show has been received positively by attendees and critics alike and has been a great way for the Phats and Small DJ to move forward after his very public and very messy break-up with Vanessa after 16 years after he admitted to cheating on her.
But while he has been focusing on his acting career and other work projects, the star hasn't been able to escape his longtime fiancée on TV screens.
With fresh reports claiming that 61 year old Vanessa is now seeing a "millionaire neighbour" of hers, fans have wondered how Ben feels.
In an exclusive interview with OK!, Ryan-Mark told us: "I don’t think Ben knows about that – we talk every day pretty much, and obviously with Celebs Go Dating, that’s the topic of our chats recently."
Asked if he believes Ben will be left heartbroken to discover Vanessa has moved on, the theatre star admitted that his friend was taken-aback by the star's comments on their past relationship.
"He was particularly heartbroken when Vanessa said that she was happy to love him," Ryan-Mark went on. "When she first arrived to the agency, she was asked to explain about her past relationship, and what really stood out to Ben was when she said, 'I was happy to love him.'
"He kind of felt like he was an object that kind of existed in her life, that she was happy to be with and exist with.
"He felt slightly objectified in that way, and he thought it was quite harsh and he felt that was a real punch in the stomach," the TV star continued.
While Vanessa has made it clear that she is ready to date other people and attempt to find love in her life once more, despite being caught in a "cringy" date on the new show, Ryan-Mark revealed he would "love" to see the pair reconcile again.
Sadly, The Apprentice favourite doesn't "see it happening," especially because he believes "it’s already happened once with Ben when he was caught cheating with someone in Ibiza".
While Vanessa has taken her time to dip her toes back in to the dating pool, Ben is "keen" to date but is happy to flirt in the meantime.
"He is always talking to different people and he’s naturally very flirtatious so whenever we go out, he’s kind of swarmed by women to be honest – it is quite something," Ryan-Mark explained. "He’s much older, but he doesn’t look that old.
"We go to Soho House quite a lot, sort of in the evenings and literally you have women 20 years younger than him, just at his feet pretty much. It’s a sight to behold.
"Anywhere we go – even if I take him to Heaven which is a gay club in Charing Cross, there’s loads of gay guys after him. It’s incessant," the star added.
Ben and Vanessa split up in February, amid claims that he cheated on his longtime partner. Ben later confirmed his infidelity.
At the time, Vanessa said: “I haven’t been on Instagram for three weeks and that’s because my relationship with Ben is over after 16 years and I honestly didn’t know what to say to you on Instagram.
“And so I just wanted to say obviously I feel incredibly sad and I’m pretty disappointed and shocked and all those horrible things but also full of resolve. I am not going to let this defeat me," she added.
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