Ruth Langsford breaks down as she admits she 'misses lovely sis Julia so much'
24 March 2026, 12:58
Ruth Langsford's older sister Julia tragically took her own life back in June 2019 – but the TV star still struggles to process her shock death.
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Ruth Langsford has opened up about the tragic death of her beloved sister Julia Johnson and the devastating grief she has experienced in the wake of her suicide.
The Loose Women host, 66, choked back the tears as she confessed to missing her 'so much' in the seven years since her unexpected passing sent shockwaves through their family.
Ruth's 62-year-old sibling, who struggled with depression, was found dead by her husband at their family home in Surrey back in 2019.
Admitting she spent years trying to understand exactly why her older sister took her own life, the TV presenter has now come to terms with the fact she will 'likely never know' the reason behind Julia's desperate decision that day.
Speaking candidly about the dark time on this week's episode of Happy Place, she told the host Fearne Cotton: "I think suicide is just, it’s such a tragedy and the people left behind are just left not knowing why. And your question is just, 'Why? Why? Why? Why?'
"And then, as time has gone on, I’ve accepted that I’ll never know why and nothing will bring her back."
Ruth explained: "The only way that I can make any sense of it and stop it hurting is to just know she didn’t want to be here and nothing I could have done could have changed that really.
"You just think you could have done something. Why didn’t we see it? How could we not have seen it? Why didn’t she talk to us? Why? Why? Why? And there are no answers because she’ll never be able to tell us why."
In the months and years following Julia's shock death, the daytime presenter confessed it was work that kept her going through those heavy days filled with grief.
She said: "I just miss her so much but I know she would not want me to have sad life and I did a lot crying I did a lot of time off work.
"Then I thought '[my sister] doesn’t want this for you' you need to get back out there. And work has always been my saviour, actually."
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Six years ago, it was a different story for Ruth who almost quit her TV career to cope with her sister's suicide.
She explained that it felt jarring to put on a happy front for the cameras, while she was emotionally shattered to pieces inside.
Ruth told Best Magazine in 2020: "It seemed wrong to be cheery on screen, when, inside, my heart was breaking."
After losing any 'motivation or desire' to be back in the public eye, it was her now ex-husband Eamonn Holmes who encouraged her to focus on work as a way of paying tribute to Julia.
Following an overwhelming few weeks of 'crying, screaming and sobbing', the former This Morning star said he reassured her that she had 'so much to live for'.
Ruth made the news of her sister's death public not long after she and her family received the devastating news in the summer of 2019.
Taking to social media, she posted a photo of herself and her 'lovely sis' smiling as they hugged on a bench in the beautiful English countryside.
Telling her followers of the tragedy, she captioned the sombre snap: "My lovely Sis Julia has sadly died after a very long illness. My heart is completely broken.
"She was the kindest and most gentle soul and I will miss her forever.
"As I am sure you will appreciate I need to take time to grieve with my family. Thank you for your understanding."
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