Eamonn Holmes has addressed his divorce from wife Ruth Langsford while presenting his GB News breakfast show.
The former This Morning host has been in a relationship with fellow TV presenter Langsford since 1996, and they confirmed on Saturday (25 May) they are separating after 14 years of marriage.
Since then, Langsford, who co-presented This Morning alongside Holmes from 2006 until their axeing in 2020, has shared an upbeat message to her fans, albeit one that did not mention the break-up.
But Holmes directly mentioned the divorce while hosting his breakfast show on Tuesday (28 May).
He told viewers: “Just before we move on, we’d just like to thank people for your support for Ruth and I over the last few days as to the news of our separation. Your support for both of us is very much appreciated.”
It’s been claimed that their relationship breakdown is due to work commitments taking their marriage “in different directions”.
Holmes started dating Langsford in 1996, two years after his separation from first wife Gabrielle, with whom he has three children. Holmes requested they keep their relationship a secret, something Langsford told the Daily Mail “spoke volumes about the sort of man he was, the sort of father he was and the integrity he had”.
After six years together, Holmes and Langsford had a son together and, in June 2010, they married at Elvetham Hall in Hampshire.
Their divorce will bring their working partnership to an end. Over the years, Holmes and Langsford have presented a number of shows together, including ITV quiz show Gift Wrapped (2014), Channel 5’s How the Other Half Lives (2015-17) and dieting series Lose a Stone in Four Weeks, which debuted on Channel 4 in 2019.
They also hosted Eamonn & Ruth’s 7 Year Itch (2017) and Do The Right Thing with Eamonn and Ruth (2018-19).
In November 2020, Holmes and Langsford were left “furious” after being axed from This Morning in favour of Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary.
Langsford remained with ITV, and regularly features on Loose Women as a host – but former GM:TV host Holmes moved to controversial channel GB News.
Langsford previously said of her marriage to Holmes during a 2017 appearance on BBC series Strictly Come Dancing: “Eamonn will be the first to take the mick out of me, but he will also be the first to floor me with his thoughtfulness.”