They were once the most popular husband and wife presenting duo since the original presenters of ITV’s This Morning, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan.
But it seems the combination of work and marriage may have been the reason behind Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford’s divorce, which they announced this weekend.
The news came as a shock to fans, who believed the couple had one of the strongest marriages in show business. But now it seems the writing was on the wall much sooner than anyone could have imagined.
The couple, who met in 1997 while both worked in television, shared a sofa on This Morning for 15 years, presenting the Friday show, before being axed in 2021.
It seems the combination of work and marriage may have been the reason behind Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford’s divorce, which they announced this weekend
But in an interview recently unearthed by the Mail, Holmes, who spoke at an event last November, revealed that Langsford “couldn’t separate” her private and professional lives. He also warned against marrying a colleague – an especially pointed comment given their long working relationship.
At the launch of networking company Global Man at the Savoy hotel in London six months ago, Holmes said: ‘This is Ruth’s problem: she can’t separate her professional life from her private life. Ruth is the boss of both.
The pair, who met in 1997 while both working in television, shared a sofa on This Morning for 15 years, hosting the Friday show, before being axed in 2021.
“She’s amazing, you know, I love her, I live with her. She’s great, but…
‘Find your partner at work! Have a romance. Do all the dirty things you do, but stay out of the way.”
During the interview, Holmes, 64, also accused ITV, his former employer, of spreading rumors that his marriage was in trouble.
He was furious when the network axed him three years ago after a series of on-air blunders and publicly denounced it, saying the diversity push is “hypocritical” and claiming that those running the show are “middle-aged white executives age’. .
Friends say the couple’s relationship has been tested by Holmes’ ongoing chronic back pain, following a herniated disc and a fall at home in 2022
Holmes is now a presenter for GB News and is expected to address the split live on his breakfast show today.
The Mail revealed on Saturday that Holmes and Langsford, also 64, had split after 27 years, 14 of them as a married couple.
Their relationship began in 1997, three years after the end of Holmes’ marriage to first wife Gabrielle, with whom he has three children: Declan, 35, Rebecca, 33, and Niall, 31.
In June 2010, Langsford and Holmes married in a lavish ceremony at the 19th-century hotel The Elvetham in Hampshire, attended by guests including Gloria Hunniford, Jeremy Kyle and Amanda Lamb.
On Saturday they confirmed that they are going through a divorce, but are trying to remain amicable. However, the couple have been ‘at odds’ over releasing a statement to announce their separation, which they have repeatedly denied for more than six months.
Mrs Langsford broke her silence on social media with a photo of the couple’s beloved dog, Maggie
Yesterday a friend of Holmes said: ‘This could all get very, very tricky. You’re dealing with Eamonn, who didn’t really want to end it, and Ruth, who did. At the heart of it is a difference of opinion.
‘How they manage to divide their millions remains to be seen, but when it comes to money, things are never easy. They’ve been together for a long time, but Eamonn undoubtedly became more famous when they got together.’
The couple’s statement on Saturday revealed that they are divorcing after their work commitments “took their marriage in a different direction.”
Holmes and Langsford, who have a 22-year-old son, Jack, until recently lived together in their £3.2million home in Weybridge, Surrey. They say they are “committed to remaining friends and keeping things amicable.”
However, it is understood that Eamonn is devastated about the split and that it was ‘heavily orchestrated by Ruth’.
He reportedly told friends that he “didn’t want to get involved” and that “Ruth can do whatever she wants but keep me out of it.”
It is understood he was against making the news public after months of trying to save his marriage.
However, his wife was determined to run away.
Friends say the couple’s relationship has been tested by Holmes’ ongoing chronic back pain, following a herniated disc and a fall at home in 2022.
In January the presenter revealed how he was forced to sell his beloved East Belfast home to pay off a huge bill, following a £250,000 tax battle with HM Revenue and Customs.
Both Eamonn and Ruth had denied there were any problems with their relationship when asked in recent months, although friends say the marriage has been over for at least a year.
Neither of them have posted photos of each other on their social media accounts in the last twelve months. Previously, the pair would also celebrate their anniversary by sending each other a public message on Instagram.
Yesterday, Mrs Langsford broke her silence on social media with a photo of the couple’s beloved dog, Maggie.
She is also taking a week off from Loose Women, the ITV panel show she co-anchors with Linda Robson, Christine Lampard and Stacey Solomon.
Additional reporting: Alexis Parr
