Inside Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford’s love story and their life together in stunning mansion amid tax battle
EAMONN Holmes and Ruth Langsford captured the nation’s heart sitting side by side on the This Morning sofa.
The husband and wife duo were loved for their affectionate bickering during their time on the popular ITV daytime programme.
Behind the scenes, the pair enjoy cozying up together inside their lavish Surrey mansion.
Eamonn and Ruth have kindly offered fans a glimpse of their luxury pad over the years, from romantic date nights to Christmas festivities.
The 64-year-old GB News host has previously credited his successful marriage to “Ruth being in charge of everything”, while on a more serious note adding “I can’t imagine life without Ruth”.
His adoring wife also shared her thoughts on their nearly 30-year partnership and said: “Eamonn’s the funniest person I know.
“Even when he’s in trouble, he can get round me by making me laugh. We’re never bored of each other’s company.
“We don’t spend as much time together as we’d like.”
They’ve previously showed off an amazing kitchen, which boasts oak cupboards, white marble worktops and matching tiled flooring.
Their grand dining room also appears regularly on social media during various holiday periods as the homemakers transform it to fit the seasonal theme.
Red roses and balloons have previously covered the house to celebrate Valentines Day, with Ruth once dubbing Eamonn the more romantic of the two.
“He always tells me he loves me, He’s very poetic. He’s my Irish poet,” she said.
Footage of their dedicated workout zone, where Ruth often documents her exercise routines, has impressed viewers too.
Even when he’s in trouble, he can get round me by making me laugh. We’re never bored of each other’s company.”
Ruth
The couple also love to cuddle up in their large lounge, which offers a working fireplace and huge TV over the mantel.
There is a huge bathroom and a special laundry room to boost practicality.
Meanwhile, Ruth has her own white arm chair with matching footstool where she likes to sit with a cup of tea and Eamonn has his own office space.
The room has been transformed into a proper man cave with a giant Manchester United mural on the wall and framed memorabilia on the walls.
He has even been pictured behind his desk with a glamorous cardboard cut-out of his wife beside him.
ON-SCREEN ROMANCE
And, their on-screen relationship has been showcased across numerous platforms across the years.
Together they’ve presented This Morning on Fridays and during holidays since 2006, hosted Channel 5 specials such as Eamonn And Ruth Do Vegas, and consumer affairs series Do The Right Thing With Eamonn & Ruth.
Most of the time viewers loved the couple’s squabbles on air, however sometimes it would land them in hot water.
But to any backlash, Ruth once said: “If you don’t get it, that’s a bit sad.”
And, despite their busy work schedules, the dynamic duo make sure to schedule in date nights.
Eamonn previously spoke about the balancing act between work and romance as high profile presenters.
FAMILY LIFE
The pair met in 1995 but only walked down the isle in 2010 and they share a son, Jack, together.
Eamonn was presenting breakfast show GMTV, when a mutual friend introduced him to Ruth.
After a recent divorce from the mother of his first three children, Declan, Rebecca and Niall, Eamonn and Ruth took their relationship slowly and kept it secret for two years.
Ruth once said: “I thought it spoke volumes about the sort of man he was, the sort of father he was and the integrity he had. It made me love him more, not less.”
Finally, in 2009 the This Morning host got down on one knee and popped the question at Cheltenham races in 2009.
They tied the knot at a lavish ceremony in June 2010 at Elvetham Hall, Hampshire, with family, friends and several celebs.
Eamonn and Ruth's most memorable TV moments
The pair have shared many funny moments with each other on screen
Their ‘car crash’ interview with Warwick Davis – The actor attempted to play a game of Tenable with the presenters before it descended into chaos with Eamonn telling Ruth ‘Shhh! I’m captain!’ and his wife responding ‘Don’t shush me just because you’re the captain!’
A Loose Women appearance – Eamonn jokes Ruth would ‘start a fight in an empty room’ – to which she jibed ‘everyone says he’s so lovely but they don’t have to live with him’.
This Morning sofa kiss – the pair showed viewers some rare PDA while discussing whether or not a partner should be forgiven for kissing someone else and Ruth said ‘give us a kiss’.
Eamonn opened up about the marriage and admitted: “It was me who wanted it.”
And while Ruth, agreed the wedding “was very nice”, it wasn’t something that she had been bothered about doing beforehand.
TAX ROW
The couple have always made headlines for their humorous TV jibes, but found themselves in the spotlight in recent years amid a tax row with the HMRC.
Devastated Eamonn has been candid about being ‘forced’ to sell his beloved home to settle a huge bill.
The TV presenter, 64, said “they’ve taken everything” after giving up his house in home town Belfast as part of a long-running dispute with HM Revenue and Customs.
Eamonn also believes the stress of the dispute caused his health to deteriorate.
After losing two appeals against the HMRC, in which the former This Morning host forked out “hundreds of thousands of pounds” to settle legal fees, Eamonn was ordered to pay £250,000.
A tribunal in 2020 ruled he was employed by ITV while hosting This Morning, not working as a freelancer.
Tax officials ordered the GB News host to pay a decades worth of backdated national insurance and tax payments.
The veteran presenter previously argued he had never been handed sick pay, holiday pay or shares in companies while working at ITV.
He told his former UTV co-star Gerry Kelly: “I had a house here until six weeks ago when I was forced to sell it by the Inland Revenue (HMRC).
“It’s something I’m very bitter about because people think you earn lots of money and therefore you have to pay.
“It’s like they have taken away everything I ever worked for.
“People think it’s only the Eamonn Holmeses of this world that they’re after.
“But it’s not. The country is broken.”
HEALTH BATTLE
Eamonn believed his anxiety resulted in a case of shingles in 2018, which could have left him blind.
The couple are now dealing with the loss of their Northern Ireland home amid Eamonn’s ongoing health struggles with chronic back pain.
In April 1 2021 the beloved presenter was rushed to hospital after suffering from “pain he’s never felt in his life”.
He later revealed the reason why as he had been suffering from chronic pain.
The GB News host then opened up to fans about “learning to walk again” after he was left dependent on crutches.
In 2022 the ex-ITV presenter was forced to take a break from TV to undergo a vital operation.
Late last year Eamonn raised alarm bells with fans after sharing a snap of him in a mobility scooter and later clarified he fell down the stairs two weeks after another surgery on his back.
Inside Eamonn's recent struggles
Former This Morning host Eamonn Holmes has shared his struggles across the past few years.
- In 2018 – The HMRC launches their investigation into the presenter and he comes down with a case of shingles that could have left him blind due to stress.
- In 2020 – A tribunal ruled Eamonn was employed by ITV while hosting This Morning, not working as a freelancer – and he was ordered to pay back £250,000.
- April 1 2021 – Eamonn is rushed to hospital after suffering from “pain he’s never felt in his life”.
- April 9 2021 – Eamonn finally reveals the reason why he’s been suffering from chronic pain in an ongoing health battle.
- May 2021 – The presenter opens up to fans about “learning to walk again” as he was left dependent on crutches.
- September 2022 – The ex-ITV host is forced to take a break from TV to undergo a vital operation.
- November 2022 – Eamonn suffers another setback after a fall at his Surrey home – leaving the star with a fractured shoulder and in “an awful lot of pain”.
- February 2023 – His rarely seen son is seen pushing Eamonn in a wheelchair.
- March 2023 – Eamonn loses his appeal against the HMRC.
- September 8 2023 – Eamonn raises alarm bells with fans after sharing a snap of him in a mobility scooter.
- September 9 2023 – He issues a health update stating he fell down the stairs two weeks after another surgery on his back.
- January 2024 – Eamonn is “forced” to sell his Northern Ireland property to pay the £250,00.