Eamonn Holmes 'furious when Ruth Langsford went public on divorce'

Eamonn Holmes was left 'blindsided' and 'furious' by estranged wife Ruth Langsford's announcement of their split.

As the television presenter thanked his fans for their support following the revelation they had separated after 27 years, friends of the star said he was 'angry and baffled' at her decision to share the news.

He learned of her plan just hours before the statement was released via Ms Langsford's spokesman on Saturday afternoon, saying: 'Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes have confirmed their marriage is over and they are in the process of divorcing.' The announcement was described as a 'joint statement'.

A friend of Holmes told the Mail: 'Eamonn was left blindsided, it was awful for him. He literally found out about it a very short time before it was published – you're talking hours. It all seems a little bizarre given that the statement said they were hoping to keep it amicable. Eamonn wanted no part of it, he couldn't see any reason why you would release that statement. It was wholly written and signed off by Ruth and her team. In the end he had no power over it whatsoever.'

The Mail can also reveal that Holmes has been confiding how 'very bad' things have been with his wife in recent weeks, while his colleagues at GB News said they have been concerned for him of late.

They said that he had been 'down' but put it down to him being in pain. One of his colleagues said last night: 'Eamonn used to be the bolshy star of daytime television, he was a confident and noisy member of the team.

'But he was clearly struggling recently – his marriage disintegrating as well as being in so much pain from his fall a couple of years ago was making him increasingly grumpy.'

The Northern Irish television anchor addressed the split publicly for the first time yesterday morning on his GB News breakfast show, while still wearing his wedding ring on his left finger.

Alongside his co-host Isabel Webster, the broadcaster, 64, said: 'Just before we move on we'd just like to thank people for your support for Ruth and I over the last few days as to the news of our separation.

'Your support for both of us is very much appreciated.'

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