The news that Loose Women star Ruth Langsford and GB News’ Eamonn Holmes had decided to separate.
After 14 years of marriage, sent ripples through the showbiz world last month.
The entertainment power duo have been together for 27 years and despite the odd bicker and squabble when they presented together on-screen.
The pair – who share a 22-year-old son, Jack – nevertheless seemed to be rock solid.
After a spokesperson announced that the couple were in the process of divorcing, the rumour mill immediately went into overdrive as to the reason behind their shock split.
And while she has yet to corroborate these reports, it seems Eamonn is doing little to silence the gossip.
Although he hasn’t spoken publicly about their split, behind the scenes the Northern Irishman has apparently been seeking comfort from a relationship counsellor.
Katie Alexander, who is 22 years his junior.
The 42-year-old blonde mum-of-three has reportedly travelled from her home in Yorkshire to visit him at his new place.
Which he’s renting in South West London since moving out of the marital home in Surrey – over the last couple of weekends.
Eamonn is said to have met Katie after she commented on one of his X (formerly Twitter) posts, although Ruth was not aware that they were friends. And last week, a snap also emerged of Eamonn at a safari park in February, with a blonde woman visible through the vehicle’s rear window.
On top of that, it’s now been claimed he’s seeking comfort from a long-time friend, Lisa Harris, a celebrity facialist and skin expert, who Eamonn has been a regular client of for years.
According to a source, Ruth is fuming. “Ruth is getting more and more angry about Eamonn’s new ‘relationship’ and feels very betrayed and hurt. She can’t believe that Eamonn is doing this so publicly and it feels like he’s trying to rub her face in it as some form of payback for Ruth ending the marriage. And as well as his ‘relationship’ with Katie, she was upset to find out that a mutual friend had been consoling Eamonn and is worried she is being painted as the bad guy.”
She’s also been left devastated by claims that the reason behind her split from Eamonn is due to his health issues. Eamonn has suffered from years of chronic back pain, which started in spring 2021, and became so severe that it left him reliant on a walking stick. He eventually discovered it was due to three slipped discs that affected the movement of his right leg and, in September 2022, he was forced to step away from his GB news show as he underwent back surgery.
In November 2022 Eamonn then endured a horrific accident which saw him fall down a set of stairs at their home in Surrey, leading him to break his shoulder weeks after his spinal surgery. With Eamonn having praised Ruth for all her support at the time, this latest rumour has apparently really left her wounded.
During such a difficult period of her life, Ruth, who is on extended leave from Loose Women, has been surrounded by supportive friends of her own. She’s posted on social media about spending time with her beloved mum and her adorable dog Maggie, and she’s had plenty of support from her TV pals, including Lisa Armstrong.
The ex wife of Ant McPartlin, who is head of make-up and hair for BBC One’s Strictly Come Dancing, has been a long time friend of Ruth’s, and Lisa’s experiences of dealing with a painful break-up will no doubt be helpful to her during this challenging time.
“She has received a lot of support from her friends in the industry and one of them is Lisa. They always got on during Strictly and Ruth never took sides in her split with Ant. Lisa has offered a lot of support and knows exactly what Ruth is going through. They are determined to have a few wines together and put the world to right and have fun.”
Lisa was married to Ant, 48, for 11 years but filed for divorce in 2018, with Lisa reportedly citing adultery in the court papers and saying that the star had become “unbearable to live with”.
After ending the relationship with Lisa, in 2021, Ant went on to marry Anne-Marie Corbett – their former PA. The couple last month welcomed their first child, a son named Wilder Patrick McPartlin, and he’s also step-dad to her two daughters, Daisy and Poppy.
Around the same time as his post, Lisa took to her Instagram Stories to share a post from another page. It included a quote that read: “Be proud of how you have been handling these past few months. The silent battles you’ve fought, the moments you’ve had to humble yourself, the times you’ve wiped your own tears. Celebrate your strength.”
So it’s easy enough to see the common ground between Ruth and Lisa.
“They share a lot of mutual friends and Lisa can see how Ruth is now getting the blame, just like she did,” says the source. “Lisa also knows full well how upsetting it can be when someone you trusted becomes close to your ex and also how the ex husband doesn’t seem to take anyone else’s feelings into consideration.”
Despite her feelings of hurt and betrayal, Ruth, surprisingly, has so far refused to take off her wedding ring, and was still wearing it in a social media post this month.
Sources claim that Eamonn, meanwhile – who also has sons Declan, 35, Niall, 31, and daughter Rebecca, 33, from his previous marriage – is “ready to move on” and is “looking forward” to the next chapter of his life. It’s even been reported that he’s being lured into the Celebrity Big Brother house with a whopping £250,000 offer.
Insiders claimed that the pair, who are both 64, have been living separate lives for two years, with their relationship deteriorating after they left This Morning in 2021. But on announcing their intention to divorce, it was claimed that they were “determined to stay friends and keep things amicable”. Whether or not that is still the case remains to be seen.
