CBB’s Lauren Harries reveals secret ‘feud’ with Vanessa Feltz – claiming she was left ‘uneasy’ throughout ‘painful’ interview with TV host after being pictured along with her ex companion on an evening out

Lauren Harries has opened up about her secret feud with Vanessa Feltz – and claimed that she felt ‘uneasy’ during an interview with the TV host after she was pictured with her ex partner on a night out. 

Troubles between the pair have come to light after Vanessa, 64, was pranked by caller pretending to be the Celebrity Big Brother star during a live phone-in on her Channel 5 show Vanessa. 

Lauren, 48, has told the Daily Mail that the pair have ‘never clicked’ after working together a number of times, including when she was interviewed by Vanessa on her radio show for BBFM as part of a task on Celebrity Big Brother in 2013.

Opening up about the ‘feud’, Lauren – who is set to publish her second book I Am Woman later this year – said: ‘I did feel that I was very nervous. And I never get nervous.

‘I’ve never been nervous, and it’s the only time I’ve ever been nervous was when I was being interviewed by Vanessa, and Courtney [Stoddard], because I did not know what was going around on the outside world, and she had to be nice to me, because I was doing so well. 

‘And I didn’t know, but you could tell, do you know what I mean? You could tell she was forcing being nice. 

She went on to claim that being pictured with Vanessa’s partner at the time, Ben Ofoedu, has added to their frostiness. 

Lauren continued: ‘And, of course, you know, then when we went out with the paparazzi, and I met her husband [Ben]. 

‘And I don’t know whether they were together at the time, so I don’t think she liked to hear that one. 

‘She did make me feel very uneasy, and it’s just the way I find, I have worked with her quite a few times, but that’s just the way it is when you work with people, you either get on or you don’t.’   

Explaining more about what happened during the interview, Lauren said: ‘It was just a shock to suddenly have a three weeks of just working on the show, and then have someone asking me questions and trying to nitpick on me and Courtney and also me being in the house, I was shaking. 

‘I was really nervous, and that’s not like me at all.  

‘But it was just because I was suddenly thrown into a radio show, and I didn’t know. 

‘No one told me. You never know what to expect in there anyway, but I didn’t expect it.

‘Personally, I’ve got nothing against Vanessa at all.

‘She’s just not somebody I would be friendly with.

‘She’s a business associate, you know.’ 

Talking about the moment with Vanessa’s ex, she explained that she was on a night out in London with Courtney Stodden when she was pictured with Vanessa’s ex Ben Ofoedu, who she was with between 2003 and 2023. 

The former couple got engaged in 2006, but never tied the knot.  

Lauren added: ‘I don’t think any woman likes it, do they really? No woman likes it when they [their man] have been out with another woman.’ 

The Daily Mail have contacted Vanessa’s rep and Channel 5 for comment.  

It comes after last week, someone called Lauren, also from Cardiff, appeared on the Vanessa’s programme Vanessa to talk about if they think that children should pick their own bedtime.

Their voice sounded very similar to Lauren’s, who currently lives in the Welsh capital, and also referred to the panel as ‘stars’ – which is something that she calls her fans on social media.

But it was not in fact Lauren, and she later took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to confirm that it wasn’t her.

Days later it was reported that the Vanessa show has been bombarded with hoax callers pretending to be famous faces such as Lauren, as well as dead celebrities, and the group of pranksters have also been also making reference to murderers and characters from TV shows while talking on the programme. 

Antiques expert Lauren, who has now started creating her own art work and selling it to fans on her own website, believes that she should have been apologised to, as well as being invited to appear on the show.  

Lauren told us: ‘I would have had someone on straight away to apologise on live TV, and I would have had them on with their book, and I would have apologised profusely.

‘Also she would have recognised my voice, and although the woman was pretty good at it, I don’t sound quite like that! 

‘You know, it’s very rude of a show not to to treat people as human beings, and they need to analyse the show, because people won’t be able to take the show seriously if it carries on like this. 

‘They should have had me on, and they should have apologised, and they should have talked about my life or whatever.’

Lauren previously said on X: ‘Someone appeared on the Vanessa show pretending to be me. 

‘I want to make this very clear — it was NOT me. 

‘The person on the phone was an impersonator pretending to be Lauren Harries.

‘What surprises me is that Vanessa didn’t introduce me on the call, even though she has interviewed me before… so I would have thought she might recognise my voice.

‘With all the researchers and production staff working on a national TV show, you would think something like this simply wouldn’t happen. 

‘Viewers deserve an explanation. 

‘If you want the real story about my life and working with Venessa on Big Brother and my experiences in television, it’s in my book Becoming Lauren.

And then she later told the Daily Mail: ‘I was very surprised and quite shocked to learn that someone had apparently appeared on the Vanessa show pretending to be me. 

‘I have worked in television for many years and I take my name and reputation very seriously.

‘With the number of researchers and production staff involved in a programme like this, it is difficult to understand how someone could appear claiming to be me without the production team contacting me directly beforehand.

‘Vanessa and I have had our moments over the years and our history together hasn’t always been the easiest.’

During the segment, the person pretending to be Lauren said: ‘Hello Vanessa and to all my stars on the panel. I hope you are well today.’

Vanessa asked the guest what they thought and they replied: ‘I am for letting children choose their own bedtimes because when I was a child, I was from a very religious family, sort of a new religion.

‘My mum, bless her, she was a lovely woman, she would take me to the Vicky Binns plays in Manchester, but she would always have me in bed by 6 o’clock sharp.

‘When she put me to bed, I cried, and deep in the night. 

‘But as I got older, I stick to those habits and I still go to bed at 6 o’clock now.

‘I am always in bed with a mug of snoozy choc by the time 6 o’clock rolls around.

‘So I don’t think that those habits that are instilled into you as a child can carry through to when you are an adult.’

You can see Lauren’s latest artwork on her website.