Ruth Langsford reveals ‘abrupt’ split from Eamonn Holmes left her traumatised

Ruth Langsford on 'Loose Women'
The Loose Women star has shed light on her split (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)

ITV presenter Ruth Langsford has revealed how she was ‘swallowed up by sadness’ following her divorce from Eamonn Holmes.

The Loose Women star, 65, was in a relationship with her This Morning co-host, who she shares a son with, for 27 years before she was ‘blindsided’ by their shock divorce in May 2024.

After being married for a total of 14 years, Eamonn began a relationship with counsellor Katie Alexandar just weeks later.

Now, the 65-year-old has explained how she has been left ‘devastated and broken’ by her ‘happy marriage’ coming to an abrupt end.

Speaking to the Daily Mail’s Weekend Magazine, Ruth said how a counsellor told her: ‘This is grief. This is trauma, and you are in shock. Let it all out.’

She continued: ‘In my opinion. I had a very happy marriage. Of course, you question yourself: did I miss something, was I not aware, was I too busy? But there’s no point playing the blame game.

Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes
The former This Morning co-anchors were together for a total of 27 years (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 13: Ruth Langsford (L) and Eamonn Holmes attend the TRIC Awards 2018 held at The Grosvenor House Hotel on March 13, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Ruth explained how she thought she had a ‘very happy marriage’ with Eamonn (Picture: Getty/David M. Benett)

‘I just didn’t think I’d find myself here, and I wasn’t strong at the start. I was broken. Broken heart. Broken dreams.

‘We all have an image of how we think our life and future is going to be. This wasn’t mine. I was devastated. We had gone from being a couple, traversing the usual ups and downs of a marriage, to an abrupt end. It was a huge shock.’

The presenter also added that she began to ‘catastrophise’, saying: ‘I’m going to be on my own, I don’t have a partner, what am I going to do? I was literally asking, “What’s going to become of me?”, like some sad, lonely woman in a Jane Austen novel.

‘But then age and experience told me, “Ruth, you’re not going to die from this. I mean you are going to die, one day, but you’re not going to die from divorce.”’

In the wake of her divorce, Ruth has since wrote her first book, Feeling Fabulous, as well as powering on in her work.

Editorial use only Mandatory Credit: Photo by Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock (16449791o) Ruth Langsford, Kelly Brook, Janet Street-Porter, Kelle Bryan 'Loose Women' TV show, London, UK - 27 Jan 2026
Following her divorce, Ruth continues to be a familiar face on daytime TV (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)
Ruth Langsford
The 65-year-old said she was told she was going through ‘trauma’ by her therapist (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

Towards the end of last year, she revealed how she sought therapy after her divorce from Eamonn, which helped her cope and move forward.

Discussing the emotional challenges and clarity therapy brought after theirmarriage ended, Ruth said she now feels stronger and more independent.

‘I started counselling when Eamonn and I separated, and I’m still having it. It is very powerful and very useful. It gives me tools to deal with things,’ she told Woman & Home.

‘My counsellor has probably seen us on TV, but she doesn’t know either of us so doesn’t get involved and doesn’t judge. She just listens and says: “Have you thought about this?” or “Why did you feel like that?”

‘I think I know myself very well, so it has just been calming. It makes me question how I’m feeling. When my sister died, friends suggested counselling and I said: “I don’t [want] just [for someone] to tell me that I’m really sad,” and I still feel like that.;

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