This Morning's star Vanessa Feltz has described her stint on Celebs Go Dating as 'difficult' and claimed the show is 'heavily edited'.
Following her split from fiance Ben Ofoedu in February, the 61-year-old TV personality sought to find love again by signing up for Celebs Go Dating. However, she found the E4 show challenging to film. Speaking at the National Television Awards on Tuesday, 5 September, Vanessa shared her experiences. She described the show as an "education", admitting, "It's been a little difficult in parts," and added, "I think dating is difficult. I've learned not to be as scared of it as I was at the beginning."
Vanessa also addressed the criticism she received from TV viewers who accused her of appearing 'uninterested' and 'rude' during her dates on the show. When asked about her learnings from participating in Celebs Go Dating, Vanessa humorously told OK!: "Maybe, to try smiling a bit more and not looking so fed up."
In a candid revelation, she shared: "But you know, actually, it's a heavily edited thing. Sometimes, I smiled for a good two hours and it was just at the very end I looked a bit fed up." Vanessa's journey on Celebs Go Dating has been anything but smooth, with recent episodes showcasing her disagreements with relationship experts Paul Brunson and Anna Williamson over their selection of potential suitors.
A particularly memorable episode aired on 30 August, where the TV star confessed to feeling "triggered" after being paired with a man who bore an uncanny resemblance to her ex-boyfriend, Ben Ofoedu. The former couple parted ways in February following his admission of sexting and infidelity.
Davina McCall still talks to three Big Brother stars and felt bad for Jade GoodyDuring the episode, Vanessa expressed her discomfort with the situation, stating, "He looks like my ex, he sounds like my ex and is in the same profession," she said. "I feel hugely triggered, trapped - I wanna run away I am feeling a torrent of emotions." Vanessa and Ben, once engaged, ended their 16-year-long relationship in February following allegations of the singer's unfaithfulness to the This Morning star. Ben later confirmed these allegations.
Reflecting on the breakup, Vanessa admitted: "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."
In a heartfelt statement, she expressed her emotions candidly: "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. Her words echoed with resilience, painting a picture of a woman determined not to be beaten down by adversity.
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