Ulrika Jonsson has insisted Ruth Langsford wanted to “move on with life” by separating from her husband Eamonn Holmes.
Ruth and Eamonn, both 64, shocked the industry when, in May, they announced their plans to divorce after 14 years of marriage and 27 years together.
In his column for SunUlrika, 56, responded to criticism of Ruth for leaving Eamonn in his darkest moment, after it was revealed the star had started to feel more like “his carer than his wife” following their recent problems of health.
The presenter said: ‘I find this disconcerting. Let’s face it, Eamonn, 64, has become a prominent member of the grumpy old men’s club over the years and is a real curmudgeon.
“It could just be that all his moaning got on Ruth’s nerves.” There she is, wanting to get on with life, and she has an old misery on two canes dragging her down.
Ulrika Jonsson has insisted Ruth Langsford wanted to “move on with life” by separating from her husband Eamonn Holmes.
Ruth and Eamonn, both 64, shocked the industry when, in May, they announced their plans to divorce after 14 years of marriage and 27 years together.
She continued: ‘I like Eamonn. A lot. I met him very early in my career and he was always super encouraging, supportive and kind… But it seems like Ruth has the knives out, and regardless of the truth behind breaking up with her, I’m here to defend and applaud her.’
Ulrika also shared that she believed Eamonn was “hitting” Ruth, and he knew he was too. He praised Ruth for not staying in the marriage past her sell-by date and wondered if the split would be a problem if Eamonn initiated it.
The Daily Mail’s Katie Hind revealed last week that Ruth has struggled to cope with Eamonn’s agonizing back problem following a slipped disc and fall at home in 2022.
Speaking previously to Woman’s Weekly magazine, the Loose Women presenter admitted her injuries had been a “test” as they tried to “cope as a family”.
A friend told Katie that Ruth had become “more of his carer than his wife” as the Belfast-born star became increasingly “grumpy”.
“Eamonn has been completely miserable,” they admitted. “He’s been through a torrid time with his health, he’s in constant pain and the truth is he can’t contain how miserable that makes him.”
“Ruth has borne the brunt of much of her anger and frustration over the past few years and finally something had to give. She is still a woman with a real enthusiasm for life and in the end it began to depress her more than she could accept.
‘She needs her own life. It’s a case where she wants to go out and enjoy herself. Women Ruth’s age realize they only have ten, 20, 30 years left at most and they want to have fun.
‘They go out, get fit, look amazing and have the time of their lives. Meanwhile, the men stay at home in a bad mood.’
The friend added: ‘The couple continue to live under the same roof but sleep in separate rooms, with Ruth increasingly acting more like a carer than a wife. She runs around making him lunch despite their strained relationship.
A friend told The Mail’s Katie Hind that Ruth has become “more of his carer than his wife” as the Belfast-born star became “increasingly grumpy”.
A source said: ‘Eamonn has been completely miserable. He’s had a torrid time with his health, he’s in constant pain’
Former TV golden couple Ruth and Eamonn met in 1997 when Eamonn presented the GMTV breakfast show.
A mutual friend and fellow TV star, Sally Meen, 58, introduced them.
Two years earlier, Eamonn had split from Gabrielle, mother of his three eldest children, Declan, 35, Rebecca, 33, and Niall, 31.
They decided to call off their commitment as the pressure of traveling to London to present GMTV from their home in Belfast took its toll.
And even though Ruth and Eamonn felt an instant connection, he made sure it was the nation’s best-kept secret as he didn’t publicly confess his love for Ruth for two years.
Eamonn even refused to hold her hand in public or attend events together during the early years of their relationship in a bid to be respectful of his ex of almost 20 years.
And although some at the time believed the secret was unnecessary, Ruth fell even more in love with her man.
She admitted to The Daily Mail in 2017: ‘I thought it said a lot about the kind of man he was, the kind of father he was and the integrity he had. That made me love him more, not less.
A source told the Daily Mail’s Alison Boshoff this week: “Eamonn’s Catholic family didn’t really agree with Ruth, but he was totally taken aback by her.”
Given Eamonn’s comments about Ruth flatly refusing to entertain the idea of returning to Northern Ireland, it seems as if the feeling may have been mutual.
Eamonn revealed he may one day return to Northern Ireland and marry a “local girl” in a resurfaced interview following his split from Ruth.
The GB News presenter has gone through a difficult period in recent years which has seen him lose his mother, his job, his beloved home in Belfast and now his wife Ruth.
Speaking on NVTV Conversations with Gerry Kelly in January the The presenter said that his home will always be in Belfast and that it is possible that he will return to Northern Ireland.
He said: ‘Ruth would not return to Northern Ireland. Yes, because of her family and also because she is English and she sees life in London and stuff, while I can’t stand London. That’s why we have a different perspective on these kinds of things.’
Eamonn then thought about a future without his wife and added: “Maybe Ruth will get hit by a bus or something, who knows?”
‘If I get another wife, maybe I’ll go back and get a local girl. It’s horrible to talk about Ruth being hit by a bus, it’s horrible.
The couple married in 2010 after dating for 13 years and said that despite their split, they are “determined to remain friends.”
One of the power couples on British television comes to an end after 27 years together, 14 of which they were married.
They are parents to son Jack, 22, while Eamonn also has children from his previous marriage.
The GB News presenter has gone through a difficult period in recent years which has seen him lose his mother, his job, his beloved home in Belfast and now his wife Ruth (pictured in 2022).
Eamonn said: ‘Ruth would not return to Northern Ireland. Yes, because of her family and also because she’s English and she sees life in London and stuff, whereas I can’t stand London’ (pictured in 2009).
Eamonn and Ruth said in a statement that they were “determined to remain friends” after spending most of their professional lives together.
However, sources say Ruth “orchestrated” the statement, which Eamonn refused to approve before it was published.
Sources told Mail+ that Eamonn is devastated by the split and that the split has been “largely orchestrated by Ruth”.
The job also contributed to his first divorce after the broadcaster’s trip from his family home in Belfast to film GMTV in London took its toll.
Two years after his split from Gabrielle, Eamonn met Ruth after being introduced by a mutual friend on GMTV.
And even though they felt an instant connection, he claimed it was the nation’s best-kept secret, as he didn’t publicly confess his love for her for two years.
Eamonn even refused to hold Ruth’s hand in public or attend events together during the early years of their relationship in a bid to be respectful of his ex.
And although some at the time believed the secret was unnecessary, Ruth fell even more in love with her man.
She admitted to The Daily Mail in 2017: ‘I thought it said a lot about the kind of man he was, the kind of father he was and the integrity he had. That made me love him more, not less.
The job also contributed to his first divorce after the broadcaster’s trip from his family home in Belfast to film GMTV in London took its toll (pictured on GMTV in 1994).
Eamonn pictured with his daughter Rebecca (right), who he shares with Gabrielle, and his son Jack (left), who he shares with Ruth.
Then in 2006, the TV couple soon became the country’s sweethearts when they began co-hosting ITV’s This Morning.
And after Eamonn spotted a couple of gentlemen flirting with Ruth at Cheltenham Races, he made her an impromptu proposal.
Eamon had already respectfully asked Ruth’s mother for her hand because his father was in the final stages of Alzheimer’s.
Eamonn is now a grandfather after his son Declan and his wife Jenny welcomed their daughters in November 2023 and 2021.