Eamonn Holmes has hit back at criticism after facing backlash for treating his new girlfriend to a luxury holiday abroad just months after ending his marriage to presenter Ruth Langsford.
The former TV couple confirmed their marriage ended in May, 14 years after exchanging vows at Elvetham Hall, a Grade II listed building in Hampshire.
Holmes, 64, has since embarked on a new romance with much younger 42-year-old relationship counselor Katie Alexander.
Despite their generational differences, the 22-year age gap didn’t seem to be an issue during a recent European cruise, where the wheelchair-bound Holmes and his attractive girlfriend enjoyed stops at a variety of picturesque locations, including Barcelona.
The Irish presenter has since rubbed shoulders with actress Kate Beckinsale (daughter of Porridge and Rising Damp star Richard Beckinsale) after meeting her for the first time at an event in London on Monday night.
Eamonn Holmes has hit back at critics after suffering backlash for treating his new girlfriend to a luxury holiday abroad just months after ending his marriage to presenter Ruth Langsford.
Social media followers flooded his Instagram platform with comments after he posed for a handful of photos with actress Kate Beckinsale on Monday night.
But Beckinsale’s decision to strike a series of suggestive poses while being snapped alongside a receptive Holmes opened the floodgates on social media, with fans divided over her post-split antics.
On Tuesday, Holmes returned to Instagram and liked several supportive messages, including one that read: “So many nasty comments! If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all…”
Another message the presenter favourited read: “Everyone please learn to be kind to the comments that appear here. Leave him alone.”
“I’m not interested in stupid comments, remember the amazing Richard Beckinsale,” read a third.
As exclusively revealed by the Daily Mail, Holmes’ recent cruise was actually a “gift” given to her after signing a lucrative deal to be an ambassador for travel giant Not Just Travel.
In exchange for the perk, the TV presenter was forced to film content for the company’s social media platforms while enjoying a break courtesy of its cruise division, Virgin Voyages, on a ship called The Scarlet Lady.
“Although it looked like Eamonn had taken Katie on a no-expenses-spared trip, in reality it didn’t cost him a penny,” a travel source explains.
‘It was part of his deal with Not Just Travel, so if anything he got paid to go, which was really lucky, especially since he could bring a companion with him.
Returning to Instagram on Tuesday, Holmes chimed in, responding to a handful of supportive messages with a love heart symbol.
Beckinsale’s decision to strike a series of suggestive poses while having her photo taken alongside a receptive Holmes opened the floodgates on social media.
Holmes and Langsford confirmed their marriage was over in May, 14 years after they exchanged vows at Elvetham Hall, a Grade II listed building in Hampshire.
“There was a work element,” the source adds. “Eamonn had to film some segments to promote the venture. But the fact that he didn’t pay certainly undermines the idea that it was a romantic trip.”
‘But Katie didn’t seem to mind, it was a lovely, sunny break for her as they enjoyed their first moments of love.’
Indeed, that was evident, particularly when Eamonn was seen shamelessly touching Katie’s bum while sitting in his wheelchair in Ibiza.
The couple were also photographed at Barcelona airport and when they returned to Heathrow.
It was a seven-day getaway, billed as a visit to the ‘irresistible Mediterranean and Rome’ and which began with Eamonn, 64, and Katie, 42, flying into Barcelona where they boarded the boat.
Despite their generational differences, the 22-year age difference between Holmes and her new girlfriend Alexander didn’t seem to be an issue during their recent European cruise.
From there they sailed to Toulon on the Mediterranean coast of southern France, and then to Marina di Carrara, a picturesque location between Tuscany and Liguria on the northern coast of Italy.
After a stop there they sailed to Civitavecchia, 40 miles north of Rome, which still preserves its ancient Roman dock, built in the 2nd century.
Since Langsford announced their split in May, Alexander has been visiting Holmes at her home in Kingston, Surrey, where she now lives after moving out of the £2million marital home she shared with Ruth about ten miles away.
Initially, the romance was kept under wraps, but their cruise together definitely put it on the map.
And no one will have been happier with the turn of events than bosses at Not Just Travel, who say they are “delighted” that Alexander came along.
“The deal was Eamonn’s, but having his new girlfriend definitely made the whole holiday a lot more interesting from a marketing perspective,” says an industry source.
‘His presence there will have raised the company’s profile considerably – money can’t buy that kind of publicity.
“Signing Eamonn and giving him this trip has been worth every penny.”
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