Following his split from Vanessa Feltz, Ben Ofoedu has admitted that he “spiralled out of control”.
The singer said that his life was “saved” by a starring role on the new London show Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding.
In February, Vanessa revealed that the couple had split, and Ben later confirmed that he’d been unfaithful to his then-fiancée, texting another woman.
At the same time, Ben was grieving the death of his younger brother Roy and being trolled online. He said he felt as if everything was “closing in” on him.
Ben was ‘spiralling out of control’
Ben told MailOnline: “Tony n’ Tina’s wedding literally saved my life. Like, literally saved my life. I had two major griefs. I had my brother pass away and then shortly after that, my relationship with Vanessa was no more.”
He continued: “That’s a 17-year relationship. And man, I was just spiraling out of control. I just felt like everything was closing in on me, my whole life and with the trolling and the backlash I received from my split with Vanessa.”
The 51-year-old said the experience made him understand why people might feel there’s “no way out”. He described the media attention and trolling as a “never ending story”.
But auditions for Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding arrived at the ideal time. Ben originally thought that nobody would want to cast him given the news around his split from Vanessa. However, he was given the part. He said: “I met this totally fresh cast of 19 people who are amazing and especially the girls in the cast as well were very, very supportive which was nice because they knew what was going on.”
Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding in London now
Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding first opened in New York City in 1988, and has since been performed across the world in over 100 locations. There was also a film adaption, Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding: The Movie, in 2004, featuring Mila Kunis.
In the immersive show, members of the audience themselves become wedding guests. They’re even included in a sit-down dinner where they can mingle with the actors. The show opened in London on March 16, and is playing weekly at the Arcelormittal Orbit in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Ben plays Vinnie Black, while Ronnie Burden and Alabama Boatman play Tony and Tina respectively.
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