X Factor: Celebrity star Ben Foden hopes Saturdays ex Una Healy will forgive him for his cheating
X FACTOR: Celebrity contestant Ben Foden hopes his pop star ex Una Healy will forgive him for his cheating.
The former England rugby international told how he views his upcoming stint on Simon Cowell’s new singing contest as a “fresh start”.
In a refreshingly candid chat, the dad of two told me: “I hope Una will forgive me.
“I made the biggest mistake and the most stupid mistake you can make in a relationship.
“We seemed like a perfect match but people never know what happens behind closed doors. I think it’s safe to say that Una and I were struggling for a number of years.
“Me doing what I did was the final nail in the coffin.
“I should have been a bigger man. I should have been able to hold my hands up and talk to Una and say, ‘I’m not happy, let’s figure something out or get divorced’, rather than do what I did.
“That’s something I have to live with and a regret I will have for the rest of my life. But at the same time there were a number of reasons why our marriage didn’t work.”
Ben and The Saturdays singer Una were planning to move their family — daughter Aoife, seven, and son Tadhg, four — to the US in July last year after he signed a deal with Rugby United New York.
But after Una was told her husband had cheated on her with PR Becky Milne she called off the US move, forcing Ben to go alone.
He admitted he turned to wild partying and flings in May to fill the void left by the family he lost.
And despite claiming he would never wed again, he stunned his family by marrying American entrepreneur Jackie Belanoff Smith just two days after finalising his divorce and two weeks after they started dating.
He said: “Everybody always says, ‘What’s the rush?’
“But we were in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, at a wedding, and a few things happened which were signs that getting married was something we should do.
“It just felt like all the stars had aligned and there was absolutely nothing telling us not to do it. It was quite surreal and happened so fast.
“For someone to come into my life and have such an effect on me, to change me in such a short space of time, it’s crazy.
“But the romance of sweeping each other off our feet and making such a big commitment to each other so early on — it’s a fairytale.”
The newlyweds are now planning to relocate to the UK next year to be closer to Ben’s kids and have plans to expand the family in the future.
Ben said: “It’s definitely on the cards but we’re going to enjoy the time we have at the moment, just me and her.
“It’s nice to be alone together and get to know each other more each day.”
Next Saturday millions will tune in to ITV as Ben makes his debut on The X Factor: Celebrity, alongside rugby pals Thom Evans and Levi Davis.
The trio have called their boy band Try Star — and the rest of Ben’s rugby mates are looking forward to seeing him perform.
He laughed: “They are waiting on tenterhooks to see us — but I think they are waiting to see us mess up more than anything else.”
“Hopefully we’ll surprise them and be much better than they expect us to be.”
Ben added: “The future feels exciting now.
“Wind the clock back six months and I was unsure of my career, I’d lost a wife, family and the routine I had.
“Now I’m part of one of the biggest TV shows in Britain, I am married and really happy, and it happened to me in such a short space of time.
“I’d love to say to people who are struggling out there that things can change in a heartbeat.
“Keep looking, because you never know what’s around the corner.”
- The X Factor: Celebrity begins next Saturday on ITV at 8.35pm.
Dogged Daisy isn’t too Lowe
FOLLOWING a split, most of us mere mortals need a few days to mope around. Not Daisy Lowe.
Days after revealing her relationship with photographer Cameron McMeikan had ended, she looks to have moved on – with hunky musician Jack Penate.
The pair looked cosy holding hands on a dog walk around London’s posh Primrose Hill.
Daisy and Cameron dated for a year and briefly lived together before calling it quits.
She has previously dated Doctor Who actor Matt Smith, producer Mark Ronson, Pop Idol contestant Darius Campbell and musician Thomas Cohen.
Daisy says her approach to dating is old-fashioned, saying: “I like meeting someone, feeling their energy, smelling them.”
bizbit
MATTHEW McConaughey’s career comeback was once dubbed the McConaissance.
Now, with the Oscar buzz surrounding Hustlers, Jennifer Lopez is entering the Jenaissance.
She said she was thrilled her acting skills were finally being rated. But her work on the stripper pole is just as impressive.
J-Lo confessed: “I was bruised everywhere. Covering those bruises up in too-short outfits – it was hard.”
I reckon doing the splits is way more impressive than any Meryl Streep method acting.
Kendall’s most-binged show
AS if we don’t see enough of the Kardashian-Jenner clan as it is, here’s Kendall posing next to four TVs brandishing her image.
And I wouldn’t be surprised if the model’s most-binged show was Keeping Up With The Kardashians.
She should really try an episode or two of Corrie. I reckon she’d find Roy Cropper hilarious.
Kendall’s pic was in honour of her family posing on the cover of CR Fashion Book.
I could give the leggy star some solid book recommendations if she likes.
And, no, big sister Kim’s book of selfies called Selfish would not be one of them.
Miley Cyrus-ly lets rip at ‘sl*t-shame’ trolls
MILEY Cyrus had some stern words for trolls “sl*t shaming” her for kissing Aussie singer Cody Simpson.
Since announcing her shock split from husband Liam Hemsworth in August, just months after tying the knot, the singer has already a summer fling with gal pal Kaitlynn Carter.
But when new pictures emerged of her planting a kiss on blond heart-throb Cody, she did not hold back at her critics, posting on Twitter: “Men (especially successful ones) are rarely sl*t shamed.
“They move on from one beautiful woman to the next, most times without consequence.
“They are referred to as ‘legends’, ‘heart-throbs’, ‘G’, ‘Ladies Man etc . . . where women are called sl*ts/whores!
“I am trying to just thrive/survive in a ‘man’s world’.
“If we can’t beat them, join em!”
She added: “Can a girl not get a f***ing acai bowl and a morning make-out session in peace?”
They’ll be selling pillows with that last quote sewn on to it in no time.
Maggie’s not very Abbey with Downton success
AFTER the success of the movie, it’s official – everybody loves Downton Abbey, right?
Everyone but Dame Maggie Smith, who plays the acid-tongued icon Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, that is.
Her co-stars Allen Leech and Lesley Nicol revealed she hates the show’s success because she can no longer shop at her local supermarket.
Lesley, who plays Mrs Patmore, said: “She’s absolutely fuming about it.”
Allen, who plays Tom Branson, added: “She says, ‘I was fine in my career until I did f*****g Downton Abbey. Everybody used to leave me alone’.
“It’s weird when you come into people’s homes, they own you a bit. She goes, ‘I can’t even go to Waitrose’.”
I’m almost moved to start a campaign to let Dame Maggie walk down the cereal aisle in peace.
But Maggie had no airs and graces on set.
Lesley said: “Maggie could have pulled rank but she never did. She would come into rehearsals and praise us for little bits we’d worked on.”
But Allen told how he was worried he’d injured her when he nearly rolled their car on his first day of filming.
He said: “I held my breath and then I heard this voice from the back saying, ‘I think I’d like to get out’.”
bizbit
Noel Gallagher on Youtube: “Do we need to see goats singing Taylor Swift songs? ”
Rob’s super shock
ROBERT Pattinson says he was as shocked as anyone to be named as the next big-screen Batman.
He admitted: “I literally do not understand how I’ve got it at all.
“It’s much more fun, though, when you’re the underdog.”
MOST READ IN TV & SHOWBIZ
And the actor, left, has had some lengthy training for the superhero role, joking: “When I was a kid, it was the only outfit that I had.”
The star’s blockbuster credentials could use a boost.
Aside from Twilight and a single, fleeting Harry Potter appearance, his movies have struggled to get bums on cinema seats.
Caught out
- LEWIS Capaldi has found love pretty quickly after becoming the face of Tinder. According to What If singer Rhys Lewis – who shared a pic of them smooching on Twitter – they are “the new Zayn and Gigi”.
- The Crown stars Matt Smith and Claire Foy are reuniting for new play Lungs. And the pair delighted fans when they were spotted holding hands and having a cosy lunch at London’s South Bank.
- Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively secretly welcomed their third child two months ago. The news emerged after they shared a selfie with Blake bump-free.
- Kimberley Walsh and Jay McGuiness differ in preparing for Big – The Musical . Kim said: “I’m chilled but he’s focused and won’t let anyone backstage.”
- Sienna Miller let slip one of her beauty secrets – Lumity supplements leave her “levelled out” and “less premenstrual”. Cheryl and Zoe Ball are also fans.
- GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk