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Vanessa Feltz celebrates 61st birthday surrounded by friends and family in wake of split

Vanessa Feltz, pictured at a gala screening on 5 February, 2023 in London. (Getty Images)
Vanessa Feltz, pictured at a gala screening on 5 February, 2023 in London. (Getty Images)

Vanessa Feltz has celebrated her 61st birthday with her friends and family after revealing her heartbreak following her split from her partner of 16 years, Ben Ofoedu.

The broadcaster kept up her vow to try to "find fun and laughter anywhere I can" as she marked her special day with her loved ones.

Sharing a video of her closest friends and family singing Happy Birthday to the This Morning star, while also presenting her with a beautiful cake, the presenter captioned the clip simply: "Happy Birthday to me".

The newly single star looked elegant for the evening celebration wearing a pale blue dress with a frilled collar and floaty hemline.

And fans were quick to wish the radio and TV presenter well for her special night.

"You look radiant. Keep smiling," fellow presenter Lucy Alexander wrote.

"Happy birthday darling V, hope you had a wonderful day with your gorgeous family," another user commented.

"Awww my darling you are looking amazing ! Happiest Of Birthdays," Lizzie Cundy added.

The celebration comes after Feltz spoke openly about her distress surrounding the split from her long-term partner Ofoedu, 50.

In a shock Instagram video, shared earlier this month, the agony aunt revealed that she had broken up with the Phats & Small singer following allegations of infidelity.

Despite revealing her "shock and sadness" at the split, ahead of her birthday the star had promised to try not to let the situation spoil the celebration.

“I will not let the shock and sadness write me off," she wrote in her Daily Express column. "I will celebrate my birthday in a couple of weeks. I will cuddle my grandbabies, hit the town with my incredible girlfriends and I will, I fear, go on to make many more mistakes.

“As the legendary Chumbawamba sang: ‘I get knocked down but I get up again. You are never gonna keep me down!'”

Read more: Elizabeth Hurley posts naked snap to wish her fans 'Happy Valentine's Day'

Stock picture of Vanessa Feltz and her former Ben Ofoedu. (Getty Images)
Vanessa Feltz recently announced her split from her partner of 16 years, Ben Ofoedu. (Getty Images)

She also resolved on Instagram to: “find fun and laughter anywhere I can and I know it’s not going to be easy, but I’m absolutely determined to do it."

Feltz gave a further insight into her birthday celebrations on Instagram, sharing a video of her posing with helium balloons presented by one of her grandchildren.

“I am the birthday girl!” she wrote alongside the clips accompanied by the hashtags #grateful #family #healing #birthday.

Watch: Vanessa Feltz is 'feeling fantastic' as she visits Ireland

Speaking about the split to The Sun on Sunday, Feltz said she was “shocked” that the relationship had come to an end, but admitted that “once the trust in a relationship is gone, it can never be repaired or regained.”

“The whole thing being played out publicly doesn’t help," she said. "I’m human and the naked ape likes to lick its wounds behind closed doors.

“I can tell you this though: even in those scary silent hours before dawn the survival instinct kicks in with a vengeance."

Read more: Vanessa Feltz split – Carol Vorderman among celeb friends offering support

Vanessa Feltz pictured at the Merlin London Riverside Rooms in October 2022, in London. (Getty Images)
Vanessa Feltz pictured at the Merlin London Riverside Rooms in October 2022, in London. (Getty Images)

Feltz admitted she had been particularly rocked by the split as she was expecting to be with her partner forever.

“I was very much hoping to do a Derby and Joan till death do us part," she wrote in her Daily Express column. "So you find me, shall we simply say, ‘discombobulated’?

“Sixteen years is a creditably long relationship and the shock when you have to end it is pretty seismic."

Meanwhile on her TalkTV show, she shared her resolve to keep moving forward despite her heartbreak.

"I can’t be the only person in the country nursing a broken heart, can I? I am absolutely determined to put my best foot forward, to keep on trucking, all that sort of stuff. Keep calm and carry on," she said.

"Having said all of this, obviously inside I’m feeling all sorts of things, no questions about it. Very hurt, very sad, terribly disappointed, worried about the future, all the normal stuff – of course I am."

The star also recently travelled to Ireland for a "healing" holiday following the breakdown of her relationship, sharing pictures of herself and daughter Allegra on the beach looking out at Bally Cotton Island, smiling and laughing.

Feltz met Ofoedu in 2005 through Boyzone star Keith Duffy who she had appeared alongside on Celebrity Big Brother in 2001.

Prior to that, she had been married to Michael Kurer from 1983 to 2000 – with whom she shares daughter Allegra, 37, and daughter Saskia, 34.