Vanessa Feltz reveals how she's been supporting pal Ruth Langsford after Eamonn Holmes split and 'admires her dignity'
09/26/2024 07:07 AM
VANESSA Feltz has revealed she’s been supporting friend Ruth Langsford after her split from husband Eamonn Holmes.
The daytime TV stars have been pals for years, and Ruth, 64, previously said her “heart broke” for Vanessa, 62, when she split from fiancé Ben Ofoedu, 52.
Now it’s Vanessa’s time to provide a shoulder to lean on after Eamonn and Ruth ended their relationship back in June.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun on behalf of Heart Bingo, she said: “Okay, the answer is yes, but I completely respect her desire, quite rightly, to keep this as, you know, from her perspective, dignified, quiet, you know, and just deal with it, yeah, on her own, privately.
“So, of course, she’s my actual friend in real life. I’ve been in contact, but I certainly respect her, and admire her dignity, and her silence over this, and that’s really all I want to say about it.”
Eamonn, 64, who is now confined to a mobility scooter, has gone public with his new girlfriend Katie Alexander, 42.
The pair were pictured on holiday in Spain earlier this month, which is when Ruth reportedly decided to remove the stairlift from the home they used to share.
Meanwhile, back in Christmas 2022 Vanessa was left heartbroken after discovering her partner of 16 years had cheated on her.
In the aftermath Ruth praised Vanessa for the way she dealt with the public split.
She said on Loose Women: “I have to say, Vanessa is a friend of mine and my heart is breaking for her. It’s hard enough when you go through a breakup, but when you have to do it so publicly it’s so hard.
“I think she has taken ownership of this though and she’s poured her heart out on social media, but it is true, once the trust is gone, you can never get it back.”
Vanessa went on to star in Celebs Go Dating in a bid to move on from Ben, but she had no joy finding a lasting partner.
But there is another TV show she’d love to find romance on: an older version of ITV‘s My Mum, Your Dad, which sees the kids of middle-aged singletons oversee their parent’s love life.
She said: “I just think if Davina [McCall] does what she says she’ll do, and Davina does often do what she says she’ll do, so she says that she wants to do; instead of My Mum, Your Dad, Your Grandma, My Grandpa.
“Sign me the f**k up for that, book me, I want to be the first celebrity signee for that, and let her find me someone’s nice grandpa and fix me up, I think that’d be great.”
Ruth and Eamonn's relationship timeline
Before the shock split announcement, Ruth and Eamonn seemed like one of the strongest couples on UK TV – even with their signature bickering style.
Here’s how their romance played out…
1997 – The couple first meet after being introduced by mutual friends, two years after Eamonn splits from his first wife, Gabrielle, with whom he has three children.
1997-2002 – To be respectful to Gabrielle, the couple kept their relationship out of the limelight. Ruth told Daily Mail: “I thought it spoke volumes about the sort of man he was, the sort of father he was and the integrity he had. It made me love him more, not less.”
2002 – Ruth and Eamonn welcome their son, Jack, to the family.
2005 – Eamonn finalises his divorce with Gabrielle.
2006 – The pair begin to host Friday episodes of This Morning together.
2010 – Eamonn proposes to Ruth while at the Cheltenham Races, after asking Ruth’s mother for her hand.
June 2010 – Eamonn and Ruth marry at Elvetham Hall, Hampshire.
2016 – Eamonn undergoes a double hip replacement in the first of many health battles.
June 2019 – On This Morning, Ruth and Eamonn say the secret to their happy marriage. Eamonn credits “compromise, consideration and lots of conjugal,” while Ruth said it was “laughter and an equal marriage”.
November 2020 – Ruth and Eamonn are replaced on their regular Friday slot by Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary in a ‘show shake-up’.
December 2021 – After a year of being moved to the bank holiday presenting slot, both Eamonn and Ruth left This Morning.
January 2022 – Eamonn debuted on GB News, while Ruth stayed with ITV in her long-standing role on Loose Women.
September 2022 – Eamonn undergoes spinal surgery after years of back issues including a trapped sciatic nerve.
November 2022 – Eamonn falls down the stairs of his Surrey home with Ruth and breaks his shoulder, requiring a new operation.
September 2023 – Eamonn has a spine and neck stretching procedure as part of his year-long recovery.
May 2024 – Ruth and Eamonn announce they have split after 14 years of marriage and a 27-year relationship.
September 2024 – Eamonn was spotted on a luxury holiday in Barcelona with his new girlfriend Katie Alexander. Ruth calls in a ‘fierce’ divorce lawyer.
