Eamonn Holmes has been battling severe back pains since 2021 and while he has described the condition as "debilitating", one person he can always count on for support is his wife Ruth Langsford.
"Ruth's not a particularly tolerant person but my god I'm so indebted to her," the GB News presenter told the Mirror recently as he opened up about the condition. "She's from an army family and she just gets on with it, she's a tour de force." He added: "It's very hard to describe Ruth. I could quite happily take the adulation with my job but she literally cannot wait to get home, get her make-up off and start clearing out drawers and unloading the dishwasher. I can't sing her praises enough, she’s not what you expect in showbiz."
During the interview, the 63-year-old opened up about his past, sharing: "I get resentful that I'm not the way I used to be but I just get on with it. I work hard at trying to walk. It's very hard to get through a normal day but I have help from people around me."
To hopefully solve his health issues, Eamonn has taken to some "back stretching", explaining: "I pay privately because my insurance only covers so much. I go to the paraplegic gym, I try my best but nothing much is getting better and no one has a prognosis as to whether it will get better."
© RexThe GB News presenter also confirmed that he would continue being vocal about his back pains after discovering a "huge appetite" for people who want to stay updated as well as though who are suffering from their own back or joint pains.
The star also called for more education around how to look after your back as he said: "There was nothing wrong with my back until two years ago. Then your life's turned upside-down.
© Shutterstock"You get outraged on behalf of people who are permanently disabled and the lack of facilities for them. I can't do things on my own, I need help and that’s a constantly humiliating thing. You're judged on everything, people have an insight into your life."
Alongside his back pain, Eamonn has also battled shingles, recently teaming up with Loose Women star Janet Street-Porter to implore people to get the vaccine for shingles. "I didn't know much about shingles before I had it, but I can testify that it really is painful and debilitating," he said. "I feel lucky that I didn't suffer complications as some people do.
© Stuart C. Wilson"I'm working with @gsk and @therealjanetstreetporter to raise awareness of shingles and the recent changes to the National Immunisation Programme, which mean more people are now eligible for free shingles vaccination on the NHS. Learn more about shingles and NHS vaccination eligibility at GSK's GetShinglesReady.co.uk Funded by GSK."
Eamonn and Ruth married 13 years ago, and the couple are still going as strong as ever and speaking exclusively to HELLO! on the secrets of a happy marriage, Ruth shared last year: "I think always respect, mutual respect. And we laugh a lot. I think love and lust and everything's wonderful at the start of a relationship. But really…you've got to have that connection as friends where you feel comfortable with each other."
© InstagramShe added that it helps that they "aren't attached at the hip", with Ruth working on Loose Women, while Eamonn started his presenting role with GB News in 2022.
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"We're very compatible on the big stuff. Our petty spats and disagreements [are] over really stupid stuff like [who] didn't put the butter away or someone's left their shoes on the stairs," she added.
