Eamonn Holmes' health struggles after star says he's 'not okay'
Eamonn Holmes has had a difficult few years, battling back pain that he has called “draining and debilitating” and splitting from wife Ruth Langsford.
The former This Morning star underwent back surgery two years ago and had to take time off work as he recuperated. And he went on to suffer a setback when he fell at home, The presenter has been having physiotherapy as he works on his recovery, but he has been photographed out in a wheelchair and using walking aids.
This week he attended the Television and Radio Industries Club Awards and admittedto the Mirror: “I’m not okay. This is not a good time at all.” The star also revealed he feels as though he is on “borrowed time” because his dad died of a heart attack at 65, which Holmes turns later this year.
We have a look at the TV star’s health struggles.
TV star suffered dislocated pelvis
GB News star Holmes has been open with viewers and his followers on social media about suffering from pain in his back. He also previously revealed in Instagram posts that he was dealing with insomnia as a result of the pain.
In April 2021 he shared that he thought it had all started when he “mysteriously dislocated his pelvis, joking that it was “not as erotic as it sounds”. “My back is now out of alignment as a result,” The Irish Independent quoted him as saying.
Holmes, who went on to suffer slipped discs, said: “Nobody knows what it’s like unless they live with someone who has it. I’m in huge pain and nobody knows how to stop it. This hurts like hell and I need to find a way to overcome it.”
Posting on X, he told fans it was "draining and debilitating".
Eamonn Holmes had spinal surgery in 2022
In 2022 the star was forced to take a step back from TV for a bit as he had a procedure to relieve pressure on his sciatic nerves. He did appear on GB News via video from home to tell viewers how he was getting on as he recovered from the op, and made it clear he could not wait to get back to work.
Chatting to his co-star Isabel Webster, he said: “I'm by no means finished. I’ve got an appetite for my work, I want to do things and I love working with you in the morning.”
Fall at home was ‘massive setback’
Just weeks after Holmes’ operation, he slipped and fell down the stairs at home, landing on a stone floor and fracturing his shoulder. He later said on GB News that it had been a “massive setback” in his recovery.
"Last month I suffered a fall at home while I was recovering from my back operation and fractured my shoulder,” he said in November 2022. "It was a massive setback and means I'm going to need to take some extra time off to get myself better. It's been a hellish few weeks.
"But day by day I'm improving and I am remaining positive and trying to look on the bright side.”
Back to work in 2023
Homes returned to work early in 2023 but his recovery was ongoing. In March that year he posted a snap on Instagram that showed him walking while strapped into a special harness.
“Learning to walk with purpose today,” he wrote. “Gosh I'm trying so hard. The harness gives me more confidence than I have.”
In September he told viewers on his show: "I can't run, I can't walk, I can't do anything except watch TV and eat." He later shared an update with Best magazine, saying that although he was walking a bit he was reliant on help.
"Well, I can walk if that’s what you mean (50 steps, to be exact) but I now accept life is easier with help from others,” he said. “Getting around with crutches is exhausting. I wish I could walk further but, for now, I can’t."
Ruth Langsford supported Eamonn Holmes during his recovery
Loose Women star Langsford was there to aid Homes during his health struggles, and urged him on as he worked on his walking and balance. Commenting on the Instagram photo of him in his harness, she wrote: “Hard work will pay off x.”
Langsford was recently quoted as telling Woman's Weekly: “I don't know how much Eamonn's mobility will improve. We live in hope.
“He does the physio, but there might have to be some acceptance that this might never be 100% right. With any care situation - and there are millions of carers in this country - it isn't always easy. It's testing but we manage as a family.”
Marriage split
In May, it was revealed that Holmes and Langsford were calling time on their relationship. The TV stars had tied the knot in 2010 and share son Jack.
A spokesperson said at the time that the couple have "confirmed their marriage is over and they are in the process of divorcing".
