Nigerian born British singer-songwriter, Ben Ofoedu, who is most famous for being the former lead singer of the duo Phats & Small, has revealed that the secret to his successful marriage is that he and his wife, Vanessa Feltz sleep in separate bedrooms five nights out of the week.
But never fear, as Ben insists he has “visiting rights” so the two can be intimate with one another more regularly than his allotted two nights a week.
What more? He disclosed that in their 12 years of being together, he has never seen 56-year-old Vanessa without make-up, saying it’s another secret to their successful union.
“I wouldn’t know who she was without makeup,” he jokes, as the two of them appears on a British panel show, Loose Women.
The broadcaster and her husband first started their interview with Christine Lampard, Janet Street Porter, Anna Richardson and Chizzy Akudolu by confessing how he has never seen Vanessa without her make up during their relationship.
She said: “When I was a teenager my sister and I discussed this and we thought smudged eye make up the morning after is better than no makeup – and I’ve stuck to that rule so I don’t get up at dawn but there’s definitely enough residue from the night before.”
The radio presenter describes her husband a “sensitive soul,” saying she believes that he might get a shock if he saw her without any makeup on.
“I think he’s a sensitive soul; he’s quite young and I think he’d have a shock,” she says of her 45-year-old husband.
Ben agrees and even confesses that Vanessa wore bright red lipstick while on a swimming date.
He teases: “I wouldn’t know who she was [without makeup];” before adding: “I didn’t notice until like two years in [that she always wore makeup], and then I was in a swimming pool and she was wearing bright red lipstick. I thought it was a bit weird.”
Janet then quizzed them about their love regime of two nights a week together, and wanted to know whether it was a kind of “sex diet.”
Ben replied: “No, no, because I have visiting rights.
“I have visiting rights any time.”
Vanessa then jumped in to correct him: “Excuse me, I have right of refusal.”
Ben quickly added: “Her right to refusal is just not answering the door.
“I think it’s kept everything fresh and sexy and mysterious kind of.
“It works, 12 years later.”
Vanessa also said it wasn’t because she or Ben snore, but was purely for romantic reasons.
She added: “We’re not having everything on tap all the time.
“When we got together everyone said we have nothing in common and they’re right, especially us, we agreed.
