Eamonn Holmes has used his presenting slot on GB News‘s breakfast programme to break his silence over his divorce from wife Ruth Langsford.
The TV power couple, both 64, announced their split on Saturday after work commitments had taken their lives ‘in different directions’.
It brings to an end one of Britain’s best known TV power couples after 27 years together, 14 of which were spent in wedlock.
Eamonn had posted on Instagram about the FA Cup over the weekend following the issuing of the statement – but his comments on GB News’ breakfast programme on Tuesday are his first words issued publicly on the split since.
Accompanied by co-host Isabel Webster, who smiled and nodded supportively as he spoke, the TV veteran thanked viewers for the ‘support’ they had shown him since the weekend.
Eamonn Holmes (pictured with GB News co-host Isabel Webster) broke his silence on his separation from Ruth Langsford this morning
Eamonn told viewers the support given to both himself and Ruth had been ‘very much appreciated’ after news of the split was announced on Saturday
Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford were one of Britain’s best known TV power couples – married for 14 years and together for 27 (together on This Morning in 2021)
He said: ‘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.’
The stalwart presenter had been expected to make a statement on his separation from Ruth on Monday’s GB News.
But presenters Nana Akua and Michael Portillo stepped in – with today’s broadcast being Eamonn’s first since the split was announced.
Eamonn and Ruth said in Saturday’s statement they were ‘determined to stay friends’ after spending most of their professional lives together.
However, sources say Ruth ‘orchestrated’ the statement, which Eamonn refused to sign off on prior to its release.
Eamonn reportedly told friends that he ‘didn’t want to get involved’ and that ‘Ruth can do what she wants but keep me out of it’.
He, meanwhile, shared his own weekend Instagram post as he relished in Manchester United’s shock FA Cup final win over Manchester City, sharing an illustration of himself with Sir Alex Ferguson.
The caption said: ‘My God , what a Cup Final, what a result! European football next season too. The Magic of The Cup. Congratulations to the whole squad.’
The couple, who live in Surrey, have not been seen together on their Instagram accounts for months – prompting rumours the split was imminent (pictured in 2007)
The couple are parents to son Jack, 22, while Eamonn also has sons Declan, 35, Niall, 31, and daughter Rebecca, 33, from his previous marriage (pictured in 2001)
Posting on Instagram on Sunday, Ruth shared a video of herself walking the pair’s pet dog Maggie alongside another clip of her mother Joan
The couple tied the knot in 2010 after dating for 13 years – and say that despite their separation, they are ‘determined to stay friends’ (pictured together in 2022)
Eamonn, who is a trustee of the Manchester United Foundation, saw his post flooded with comments from concerned fans, asking him about his split.
They are parents to son Jack, 22, while Eamonn also has sons Declan, 35, Niall, 31, and daughter Rebecca, 33, from his previous marriage.
Last night, Ruth broke her silence following the news of the split with a post on Instagram featuring pet dog Maggie – who will be the subject of heartbreaking talks over who gets to keep her.
Fans of the pair – a familiar sight on This Morning for 15 years – have been poring over past remarks they have made on relationships, including on couples who stay friends after breaking up.
During an interview on TalkTV during the Covid-19 lockdown, Eamonn explained he and Ruth were struggling with not having their own space.
He said: ‘Although we live together, we’re not really together, we don’t watch the same TV, Ruth likes her own space. When we do This Morning it’s a rare time we actually interrelate.’
Ruth added: ‘That’s why we’ve been together 24 years, because we aren’t actually together a lot.’
Elsewhere in another resurfaced clip, Eamonn and Ruth discussed staying friends with an ex.
The former This Morning hosts discussed whether they could stay friends with a former partner in a discussion on the popular ITV daytime show back in a clip from 2018.
They were joined by Anthea Turner and journalist Nilufer Atik.
Eamonn said on the topic: ‘It is easier to stay friends.’
While Ruth had a different opinion, saying: ‘Why would you need to stay friends, you aren’t with them anymore, you don’t need to be friends.
‘My thing is you weren’t just friends, you were married or had a relationship.’
Ruth and Eamonn shared a glamorous six-bed home in the town of Weybridge, Surrey, which he is said to have moved out of before news of the split broke (pictured banging pots in thanks to the NHS during the pandemic)
Eamonn and Ruth hosted This Morning together for 14 years, and were a fixture on the show both on Fridays and during the school holidays (pictured in 2007)
It comes just days after Ruth revealed she fears Eamonn ‘might never be 100 per cent right’ after undergoing back surgery due to suffering chronic back pain for almost two years
The TV couple, who friends say were ‘as close to Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan as you could get’, had sparked rumours of a split after not appearing on each other’s Instagram accounts for months.
They first met in through a mutual friend, GMTV star Sally Meen, while Eamonn was also on the show in 1997.
Two years later, he had split from his first wife Gabrielle Holmes, the mother of his three eldest children.
And despite the pair feeling an instant connection, he ensured it was the nation’s best-kept secret, as he did not publicly confess his love for Ruth for two years.
Eamonn even refused to hold her hand in public or attend events together for the first few years of their relationship in a bid to stay respectful to his ex of nearly 20 years.
They eventually tied the knot in 2010 after 13 years together, in a lavish ceremony at the grand 19th century Hampshire hotel, The Elvetham.
Among those on the guestlist were TV presenters Gloria Hunniford and Jeremy Kyle, EastEnders actress Zoe Lucker and former champion boxer Barry McGuigan.
And while they had shared a lavish £3.2million mansion in Surrey, Eamonn is believed to have moved out before the break-up was announced.
Their split comes just days after Ruth revealed she fears Eamonn ‘might never be 100 per cent right’ after undergoing back surgery due to suffering chronic back pain for almost two years.
The GB News breakfast presenter is still recovering from the surgery and an injury to his shoulder, which saw him take four months off work at the end of last year.
Eamonn and Ruth left the programme in 2021 after their contract lapsed and were replaced by Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond.
The duo have also presented a number of other shows together including How The Other Half Lives, Do The Right Thing With Eamonn And Ruth and Eamonn And Ruth’s 7 Year Itch.
Holmes, who has also fronted coverage on GMTV and Sky News’ Sunrise, launched Breakfast With Eamonn and Isabel on GB News in January 2022.
Langsford regularly presents Loose Women, having begun on the show in the 1990s.