Eamonn Holmes’ ‘hatred of Phillip Schofield and ITV rants deepened marriages crisis with Ruth – but he has no regrets’
EAMONN Holmes’ “hatred of Phillip Schofield” plus his “rants about ITV” are said to have “deepened his marriages crisis with Ruth Langsford” – but the star has “no regrets about any of it”.
At one point, all three – along with Holly Willoughby – were the faces of This Morning.
Eamonn, 64, used to host Friday and half-term additions of the flagship programme with now estranged wife Ruth, 64.
But sources say his “deep dislike” for Phillip, 62, put a strain on his marriage towards the end of the relationship..
His “outbursts about ITV” also “caused contention with Ruth”, as she was still working on Loose Women.
A source told MailOnline: “Eamonn’s dislike for Phillip existed for a long time, but it became very public at the end of his marriage to Ruth.
“And as his hatred for him and ITV grew, the cracks in their relationship grew deeper.
‘Ruth became a bit dismayed at Eamonn for making repeated digs at ITV after they were axed from This Morning.
“Ruth wasn’t over the moon about it.
“But given she was still a cemented member of the Loose Women family, it made things somewhat awkward for her to have Eamonn criticising ITV.
“But Eamonn loathes Phillip and has no regrets about what he said and certainly doesn’t think he threw him under the bus.
“He doesn’t regret any of his behaviour; he believes he’s addicted to fame, and he can’t believe he’s attempted to relaunch himself with his documentary this week.
“Eamonn is trying to move on with his life, and has no plans to ever make it up with Philip.”
The Sun have approached both Eamonn and Ruth’s representatives for a comment.
Tensions boiled over in 2019 when Schofe cut off Ruth, 64, while she was in the middle of a live link, teasing what was coming up on Loose Women.
The incident ultimately led to Ruth making a complaint over his behaviour to ITV.
Previously speaking about it, Eamonn said: “Phillip is renowned for snubbing people.
“He’s very passive-aggressive. It’s up to Ruth to say how she felt, but I was feeling hurt for her. No one would have snubbed me like that.
“I have a good Belfast street fighter in me… I would be direct. I don’t go for presenters who think they have a special privilege or aura or influence.”
Eamonn and Ruth were there to support Phil when he came out as gay on This Morning in 2020.
However a source told MailOnline: “Eamonn felt very used by Phil for the coming out scenes.
“He and Ruth were told that they had to be there and it all looked like they were best friends. Eagle-eyed viewers at the time said that it was fake; now we know it was. Eamonn despises Schofield and has for a very, very long time.”
Ruth and Eamonn were then axed from This Morning in 2021, making way for Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary.
After Schofe admitted to his ‘unwise but not illegal’ affair with a young runner, Eamonn unleashed fury on GB News.
He said: “Ruth and I particularly looked after him. He never once talked to us about any relationship, but we knew he was in a bad way fragilely.
“There’s an incredible duty of care that needs to go towards that young man.”
He added that Phil was a “a complete and utter dyed-in-the-wool narcissist”.
A source said the pairs feud runs so deep they would “cross the road to avoid having to even look at each other”.
“The b*******t, most vicious fallout in television,” they added to MailOnline.
Earlier this week, Eamonn snapped at his GB News co-star Isabel Webster pointed out that Phil ‘hadn’t done anything illegal’.
He replied: “Why is that even relevant? He met the boy when he was 15?”
Eamonn added: “I am one of the people who threw him under the bus. I am very proud to have done it. This man is addicted to fame. Absolutely addicted to fame.”
Cast Away verdict
By Rod McPhee
OVER three nights – and three hour-long episodes – Phillip Schofield has been bearing his soul in new Channel 5 show Cast Away.
And it’s basically a chance for the former This Morning host to explain the circumstances that saw him leave the show last year.
To put it mildly, he left under something of a cloud, admitting he’d had a fling with a much younger runner on the programme. But in the C5 show he presents his own versions of events – one which is at odds with the narrative that emerged at the time.
He was portrayed as a man who’d had an “unwise” affair, who’d resigned as a result and had let many of his colleagues down.
But in Cast Away Philip insists he was fired by ITV and not for the affair, but because of the bad publicity that surrounded the crimes of his paedophile brother. He summed it up best when he claimed he’d been “pushed under a bus.”
After watching Cast Away what you’re left with is something rather confusing, however.
Did Philip think he’d done something wrong by having the fling with the runner, or not? For example, he said he wouldn’t have been slammed for it quite so much if it were a heterosexual fling.
He said he: “would have received a pat on the back for having an affair with a woman.” This infers that the only thing wrong with it was that it was a same sex fling. So why does he also say: “I will be forever sorry. I screwed up. I made a mistake.”
The answer, I suspect, is that the whole affair was a murky business. There were so many blurred lines around appropriateness, professionalism and honesty.
The only firm conclusion you can draw from the show is that Phillip himself isn’t ENTIRELY sure to what extent He was guilty of wrongdoing.
Amid the confusion, what will the viewing public think? I suspect that this will leave those who disliked Phillip to feel even more suspicious of him.
Those who backed him, will feel reassured too. But those who still aren’t sure what to think will be none-the-wiser – and I’m not sure if that’s what Phillip would have wanted.