Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Rachel McGrath

Eamonn Holmes details ‘horrendous’ health battle with carers ‘throughout the day’

Eamonn Holmes has detailed his “horrendous” health struggles, saying that he largely uses a wheelchair and has carers “throughout the day”.

The 66-year-old began battling chronic back pain in 2021 and later discovered it was being caused by three slipped disks.

Holmes, who had also dislocated his pelvis, underwent spinal surgery, but his recovery was far from smooth and in 2022, he had a second operation, this time for a broken shoulder. He then underwent a third surgery in 2023.

In the years since, he has frequently shared updates on his health and in some of his most frank comments yet, the former This Morning host said: “I'm sick. I'm in a wheelchair. That's been horrendous to deal with for two years.”

Speaking on the Session 7 podcast, he added that he needs help getting out of a chair. “I have to have carers throughout the day,” he continued, “but once I’m sitting down, I can do everything.”

Holmes, who defected from ITV to GB News in 2022, previously told the Irish publication Sunday World: “Somebody dresses me in the morning, somebody undresses me at night, somebody gets my food for me.

“I have to be tested with spinal injections to see if it will take, and then grow some life back into my spine and legs.”

Amid his health woes, Holmes and his partner of 27 years, Ruth Langsford, announced their decision to split in May 2024.

Langsford has since admitted she felt “blindsided” by the breakup, revealing last month: “In my opinion, I had a very happy marriage. Of course you question yourself: did I miss something, was I not aware, was I too busy? But there’s no point playing the blame game.”

The couple split in 2024 (Getty Images)

“I just didn’t think I’d find myself here, and I wasn’t strong at the start,” she admitted. “I was broken. Broken heart. Broken dreams. We all have an image of how we think our life and future is going to be. This wasn’t mine.”

Holmes and Langsford – who also worked together, regularly presenting ITV chat show This Morning from 2006 to 2021 – share one son, Jack, who is now 23.

Following the separation, Holmes soon began dating relationship counsellor Katie Alexander. The couple went public with their relationship in 2024, just months after the former This Morning hosts’ split was confirmed.

Langsford has said she is in no rush to meet someone new, admitting: “I’m not ready for a new partner, I haven’t healed from the last one.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.