Eamonn Holmes has taken to Twitter to pay tribute to his wife Ruth Langsford's late sister, Julia Johnson. Thanking fans for the kindness they have shown since Julia's passing, Eamonn spoke of the couple's grief, and said that both he and Ruth will miss Julia "forever". "I just wanted to say, if I haven't done so directly, thank you for your kindness and compassion towards Ruth and the loss of her sister Julia," the This Morning star, 59, wrote. "We both loved and cared for Julia with all our hearts and will miss her forever. Your love and kind words have been a great help. Thank you."
Eamonn became emotional while presenting This Morning on Friday as he explained his wife's unexpected absence from the show. Fighting back his tears, the TV star was comforted by co-presenter Rylan Clark-Neal as he read out a social media post shared by Ruth regarding her bereavement. He told viewers, "You may already be aware of the terrible bereavement that Ruth had yesterday. On her social media she made this post." As Eamonn read out his wife's statement, he paused halfway through, choking up and leaving Rylan to finish. The Northern Irish broadcaster continued: "No one understands more than our friend Rylan who has been a great comfort to Ruth and who has been a great help by stepping in today."
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Ruth, 59, announced the news of Julia's passing on Thursday, sharing a beautiful photo of the sisters together. "My lovely sis Julia has sadly died after a very long illness," she wrote. "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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Julia was Ruth's older sister, and the pair were extremely close. She had a daughter called Katie, and they lived nearby to Ruth and her family. In December, the Loose Women host shared a lovely picture of herself with Julia and Katie, and her mum Joan, as they enjoyed an afternoon tea in London. Ruth often spoke about Julia while presenting Loose Women, and praised her big sister for being there so much for their mum. The TV presenter said: "My mum is in her eighties, and she doesn’t live that far from me. And my sister Julia is amazing, she lives a lot nearer to my mum and she does a lot for my mum. She's always there and I'm always working."
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