Ruth Langsford admits 'devastating' split from Eamonn Holmes was a ‘huge shock'
20 February 2026, 17:29
TV star Ruth Langsford thought she had a 'happy marriage' before her shock split from Eamonn Holmes.
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Ruth Langsford has opened up about her "devastating" divorce, admitting her split from husband Eamonn Holmes came as a "huge shock" to her.
The Loose Women star, 65, confessed she was "broken" by the break-up and struggled to understand what had gone wrong during the famous telly couple's 14-year marriage.
According to Ruth, the Northern Irish broadcaster, 66, blindsided her by ending their 27-year relationship with no warning.
The mum-of-one, who shares son Jack, 23, with Eamonn, was left trying to make sense of the separation, questioning all the events that led to his final decision.
Speaking to the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine, Ruth said: "I had a very happy marriage.
"Of course you question yourself, ‘did I miss something, was I not aware, was I too busy?’ But there’s no point playing the blame game.
"I just didn’t think I’d find myself here, and I wasn’t strong at the start. I was broken. Broken heart. Broken dreams.
"We all have an image of how we think our life and future is going to be.
"This wasn’t mine. I was devastated. We had gone from being a couple, traversing the usual ups and downs of a marriage, to an abrupt end. It was a huge shock."
TV star Ruth, who co-presented This Morning with Eamonn for 15 years, admitted she had to have a stern word with herself following the painful split.
She continued: "I had to give myself a good talking to because I was catastrophising, ‘I’m going to be on my own, I don’t have a partner, what am I going to do?
"I was literally asking, ‘What’s going to become of me?’, like some sad, lonely woman in a Jane Austen novel.
"But then age and experience told me, ‘Ruth, you’re not going to die from this. I mean you are going to die, one day, but you’re not going to die from divorce‘."
The daytime TV personality explained how she forced herself to turn a corner by refocusing her attention on work and dedicated lots of time to her son Jack.
She also spent her free hours cooking, gardening and travelling the world as she explored her new-found freedom, as revealed in her tell-all memoir Feeling Fabulous, out next week.
As for a new relationship, Ruth is still officially single, unlike Eamonn, who moved on with dating counsellor Katie Alexander in 2024.
He went public with his new girlfriend, who is 23 years younger, shortly after his split from Ruth was announced in the press.
- Read more: Who is Eamonn Holmes new girlfriend Katie Alexander? Their rumoured relationship revealed
According to fresh reports, Eamonn has bought a plush new property in Holywood, Northern Ireland, so he and Katie can spend more quality time together.
A source said: "Eamonn loves going back to Northern Ireland visiting family and he’s been after a new place there for a while.
"It will be the perfect place to build a home with Katie, with no memories of anyone else.
"They can use it for weekend retreats."
- Read more: What is Ruth Langsford's net worth? Her earnings revealed amid split from Eamonn Holmes
- Read more: Eamonn Holmes opens up about Ruth Langsford's pain over tragic death of sister Julia
