Eamonn Holmes‘ dislike for Phillip Schofield became so severe that he has no regrets about his outbursts sparking issues at the end of his marriage to wife Ruth Langsford.
A source close to Eamonn, 64, has revealed he stands firm in his outspoken rants about Phillip which we can reveal left his wife Ruth dismayed towards the end of their marriage.
Ruth is still a regular star on fellow ITV favourite Loose Women, and a source said she felt awkward that her spouse was speaking out about the channel and how he felt betrayed by them.
She and Eamonn announced their split in May after 14 years of marriage after work commitments ‘took their marriage in different directions,’ and he has since been pictured while on holiday with girlfriend Katie Alexander.
The presenter has openly shared his dislike of the star, with the pair’s warring words sparking a feud that’s been dubbed one of the biggest in showbusiness.
Eamonn Holmes ‘ dislike for Phillip Schofield became so severe that he has no regrets about his outbursts sparking issues at the end of his marriage to wife Ruth Langsford
A source told MailOnline: ‘Eamonn’s dislike for Phillip existed for a long time, but it became very public at the end of his marriage to Ruth. And as his hatred for him and ITV grew, the cracks in their relationship grew deeper.
‘Ruth became a bit dismayed at Eamonn for making repeated digs at ITV after they were axed from This Morning.
‘Ruth wasn’t over the moon about it . But given she was still a cemented member of the Loose Women family, it made things somewhat awkward for her to have Eamonn criticising ITV.
‘But Eamonn loathes Phillip and has no regrets about what he said and certainly doesn’t think he threw him under the bus.
‘He doesn’t regret any of his behaviour; he believes he’s addicted to fame, and he can’t believe he’s attempted to relaunch himself with his documentary this week.
‘Eamonn is trying to move on with his life, and has no plans to ever make it up with Philip.’
Eamonn declined to comment when contacted by Mail Online.
But a source close to the presenter said it would be wrong to suggest his comments about Philip or ITV had anything to do with his marriage breaking down.
A source close to Eamonn has revealed he stands firm in his outspoken rants about Phillip (pictured) which we can reveal left his wife Ruth dismayed towards the end of their marriage
She and Eamonn announced their split in May after 14 years of marriage after work commitments ‘took their marriage in different directions’
Ruth is still a regular star on ITV favourite Loose Women, and a source said she felt awkward that her spouse was speaking out about the channel and how he felt betrayed by them
In November 2021, Eamonn and Ruth were controversially axed from This Morning after 15 years and replaced on the Friday show by Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond.
Eamonn was particularly aggrieved about being let go by ITV, claiming he was never given an accurate reason.
His culling was made even more frustrating by his belief Phillip had been given unwavering support by ITV, despite his behaviour off set, a belief shared by Phillip’s former co-host Fern Britton and Amanda Holden, who briefly hosted This Morning alongside him in 2015, while Holly was on maternity leave.
The incident confirmed Eamonn’s belief that Phillip had constantly been feted despite his poor behaviour behind the scenes, sources claimed.
On Monday, Eamonn furiously hit out at Phillip ahead of his TV comeback, saying he is ‘very proud to have thrown him under the bus‘.
While discussing Phillip’s much-criticised television comeback on Channel 5 show Cast Away, Eamonn made his feelings clear.
As co-host Isobel Webster revealed on Monday’s GB News Breakfast that Schofield claimed he was ‘thrown under the bus’, Holmes was quick to reply: ‘Well if I’m one of the people who threw him under the bus I’m very proud to have done it…
‘This man is addicted to fame, absolutely addicted to fame.’
Holmes – who has made no secret of the fact he dislikes Schofield – later added that Schofield ‘deserves to be in exile’.
On Monday, Eamonn furiously hit out at Phillip ahead of his TV comeback, saying he is ‘very proud to have thrown him under the bus ‘ (pictured with Ruth and Holly Willoughby in 2019)
Rumours about animosity between Phillip and Eamonn had circulated for months, with the pair known to one another for about three decades.
While Holmes hosted GMTV, Schofield presented This Morning before Holmes joined him on the daytime show in 2006.
In a bid to keep the peace on the much-loved ITV daytime programme, Holmes and Schofield had tried to keep their mutual resentment to themselves.
When Phillip came out as gay live on This Morning back in February 2020, Eamonn was a picture of moral support – even though sources say he was furious about being forced to back the man he so disliked.
Nowdays, both have given up on such pretences. They openly despise one another so much that ‘they would cross the road to avoid having to even look at each other’, according to a source who spoke to The Daily Mail.
‘It’s usually women who fall out in showbusiness but Eamonn and Phil’s is by far the bitchiest, most vicious fallout in television.
‘They hate one another. Eamonn cannot stand Phil, and while he never used to talk about it, now he just doesn’t care. He thinks Phil is a disgrace and a liar.
‘Phil keeps quiet about it all but the feeling is mutual.’
The pair’s feud began with an incident involving Holmes’s former wife Ruth Langsford.
In 2019, she filed an official complaint against Schofield after she was cut off mid-sentence by the presenter as she was explaining what was coming up on her segment of This Morning.
Phillip said live on air at the time: ‘Guys, we’re going to have to jump in there and stop you I’m afraid because we’re a bit tight for time at this end. Thank you, Ruth.’
Unimpressed, Ruth responded: ‘Well, I only had about two more words to say,’ and slammed down her pen in fury. Schofield then wrote about the exchange in his 2020 autobiography Life’s What You Make It.
Phillip launched his TV comeback this week on the Channel 5 series Cast Away, after leaving This Morning last year following his admission of an affair with a younger male colleague
Eamonn was particularly riled since he had made the effort to appear supportive of Schofield coming out on national TV.
After being told by ITV bosses about Schofield’s announcement when he and Langsford arrived at work that morning back in February 2020, he was seen embracing Schofield.
‘Eamonn felt very used by Phil for the coming out scenes,’ said one insider. ‘He and Ruth were told that they had to be there and it all looked like they were best friends
‘Eagle-eyed viewers at the time said that it was fake; now we know it was. Eamonn despises Schofield and has for a very, very long time.’
The anger only increased after Holmes departed ITV. And the moment Schofield admitted his affair with the young man, referred to as Person X by ITV chiefs, he unleashed his fury.
It’s thought that Eamonn and Ruth were particularly aggrieved at how Schofield treated his young This Morning colleague, whom he had an affair with behind his own wife’s back.
Ruth knew the young man particularly well as he had later moved to Loose Women (on which she was a presenter).
‘Eamonn took a dim view of it all,’ said a source close to him. ‘He knew nothing of the relationship and felt lied to, like many of Schofield’s other colleagues. That was it for Eamonn. He just couldn’t keep quiet about it any more.’
Speaking about the young man in an interview on GB News after Schofield’s confession, Holmes said: ‘Ruth and I particularly looked after him.
‘He never once talked to us about any relationship, but we knew he was in a bad way fragilely. There’s an incredible duty of care that needs to go towards that young man.’
During the same chat, he let rip at Phillip, saying that he ‘created an atmosphere where people hated him… he didn’t look at anybody. He is a complete and utter dyed-in-the-wool narcissist.’
Friends of Schofield say that he was ‘very upset’ by the interview and said that it contributed to his already fragile state of mind in the aftermath of him quitting ITV after admitting his affair.‘