Eamonn Holmes says he's 'on borrowed time' and 'not okay' after Ruth Langsford split

Eamonn Holmes has claimed he’s on “borrowed time” as he made his first solo public appearance following his split from Ruth Langsford.

Attending the TRIC Awards on Tuesday afternoon, Holmes said that his health has been deteriorating and he nearly skipped the event due to severe back pain.

The broadcaster revealed he used a high-tech wheelchair and walker to attend the ceremony, where he accepted the News award on behalf of GB News Breakfast.

“I wasn’t going to come, but I’ve got this new chair with all these gadgets,” he told The Mirror.

“I had an operation a year and a half ago, and two things went wrong so I have two things in my back I don’t want. So I’ll happily accept this.”

Holmes has been grappling with ongoing health issues, recently seen using a walking frame and crutches in London.

His chronic pain began after he slipped three discs in 2021, resulting in a significant loss of mobility. The following year, he underwent spinal surgery, which kept him off the air for nearly four months during his recovery.

At the awards, which were held at The Grosvenor House Hotel, the former This Morning presenter also addressed the recent news of his divorce from Langsford, expressing his hope that they could remain friends.

He shared: “I’m not OK. This is not a good time at all. It’s too early to say but I hope we can still be friends.”

Since his split from Langsford, Holmes has reportedly grown close to Katie Alexander, a divorced mother-of-three and relationship counsellor.

Sources close to Alexander claim she’s fallen “in love” with the GB News presenter after enjoying a “string of outings” with the TV star. It’s said she’s “in it for the long haul.”

Holmes and Langsford only announced their split last month, their marriage is said to have been over for some time.

Loose Women panelist Langsford, 64, sent ripples through the showbiz world when she announced that she and Holmes, both 64, were planning to divorce after 14 years of marriage and 27 years together.

Issuing a joint statement, a spokesperson for the former couple - who share one grown-up son - said: "Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes have confirmed their marriage is over and they are in the process of divorcing."