Ruth Langsford paid a sweet tribute to her late sister Julia in Wednesday's episode of Loose Women. Alongside her fellow panellists, Coleen Nolan, Saira Khan, and Linda Robson, the presenter was discussing whether it's ever OK to have a favourite child.
Talking about her own childhood, Ruth said: "I used to say, 'Oh, you're definitely mum's favourite and I am dad's favourite,' and we agreed on that and neither of us had a problem with it because our parents didn’t think that they treated us any differently." The star went on: "If ever I asked my mum, 'So, Julia is your favourite, mum, really, isn’t she?' she would say, 'No, I love you both the same.'
READ: Eamonn Holmes reveals he's suffering with agonising nightmares
WATCH: Ruth Langsford talks about her childhood with sister Julia
"But Julia and I used to talk about that quite often and I think actually it was more that they had a lot in common, I was very like my dad, so we probably spent more time with those respective parents but I never felt unloved by my mum."
Ruth's sister sadly died by suicide last June and the presenter revealed in an interview with Best magazine earlier this month that she had considered giving up her TV work in the aftermath of Julia's death because she felt too grief-stricken to continue.
MORE: Martin Lewis reveals painful childhood trauma returned after becoming a family man
Ruth said: "I didn’t feel I could ever go back to work again. It seemed wrong to be cheery onscreen when inside my heart was breaking. I just thought being happy would be a lie – and disrespectful to my only sibling." But, the down-to-earth star revealed, her husband and This Morning co-host Eamonn Holmes helped her to go on.
Ruth's husband Eamonn supported her following her sister's death
Ruth added: "Eamonn pointed out that he was, in effect, losing not one, but two of the most precious people in his life – Julia and me. He showed me how I had so much to live for in Julia’s memory – and beyond."
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.