After struggling for 18 months after splitting from fellow telly presenter, Eamonn Holmes, the much-loved TV host is now seeing “light in her future.”
Ruth Langsford has admitted she encountered a dark period after her split from husband Eamonn Holmes, but has survived the ordeal and would one day be open to marrying again. The TV host, 65, has spoken out in-depth for the first time since she announced a split from Eamonn in May last year.
Ruth is now getting used to living alone after 14 years of being married, but she acknowledged that her experience has been difficult over the past 18 months and that she is still seeing a counselor to address any issues. Ruth says, “I definitely see light in the future where I didn’t before,” sounding resolute. What would have happened if I had seen the darkness and wondered, Oh my God, what would happen? ‘”.
Quoting the famous Gloria Gaynor song, she added: “But now the fear has gone, because what do you do? Do you crumble? Do you lay down and die? Oh no, not I. I will survive.” The Loose Women star and Eamonn announced their break-up last year, amidst reports they had been living separate lives for some time already. Since then, Ruth has kept a dignified silence but had to watch on as Eamonn began a new relationship with girlfriend Katie Alexander, whom he has regularly taken to events and on holiday.
Ruth insists she is willing to start dating herself in the future despite insisting she is still single. Never, she adds, “do not start a new relationship.” I’m not frightened of dating. I’ve never even been discouraged from getting married, but I’m definitely not looking at it any more, partly because I’ve come to terms with my own prowess. I have a lot of strength and independence. Although it took me a while to realize that, and I’m not sure what lies ahead, the chapter is already quite exciting. Not as terrifying as I anticipated.
Ruth, who shares son Jack, 23, with Eamonn, took time off work from fronting Loose Women when the split was first announced in May last year and returned in July. Sources at the time told the Mirror she had been left devastated by what had happened and how quickly Eamonn moved on. In an interview in January she also conceded it had been “very difficult” and “very painful” in the months that followed their separation.
Ruth said in a new interview with the home magazine woman& that she “started counseling when Eamonn and I separated, and I’m still having it.” It is extremely useful and powerful. It gives me methods for handling situations. My counsellor has probably seen us on television, but she isn’t familiar with either of us, so she doesn’t intervene or make a judgment.
A very long relationship’s end requires a lot of unraveling. Counseling assists in moving past it without being held back.
Ruth is now back working full time on Loose Women and other TV projects, but the ITV series is one of a number of daytime series which will see cost cutting measures next year. The move will see Loose Women air for 30 weeks of the year instead of 52. ITV have insisted the current panel will continue but like hundreds of staff Ruth is waiting to find out more details.
She says: “Television is an exciting job but if it stopped tomorrow, I’d do something else. It would be a shame, but I’ve had a great run so I’d go and work in a garden centre because I love gardening. I never feel settled because I’m self-employed. However, as I’ve got older, I try not to fret about it.
“Throughout my career, I’ve lost my job frequently due to a finished program, a new department head making changes, or the closure of the entire company. Everyone lost their jobs when I worked for Television South West, and we lost our franchise. You panic and believe you’ll never work again at the time. I’m still here, though. No matter what your job title, all I can say to young people who are losing their jobs or going through changes is, “This is difficult, but you will be okay.” Sadly, in most industries, nothing is the same, and we all have to adapt and move on. We persevere despite the difficulties.
Ruth currently works for ITV, runs her own clothing line for the QVC shopping channel, and is preparing to release an Autumn/Winter 2026 collection. Additionally, she will soon start writing. She has now started writing in pencil and has been speaking with a number of publishers since the Mirror made public in July.
She states, “My first book is coming out!” I’ve received numerous requests for doing one over the years, but I never chose the right time. The life lessons I’ve learned over the course of my 65 years, including those that are good, happy, bad, and sad, and how I’m feeling about starting anew at the age of 65 on my own, in a new chapter, are not autobiographies. I hope people will find it encouraging, entertaining, and humorous when it comes out in the first quarter of the year.
And on a lighter note, Ruth also told the magazine she does have one new love in her life – a new vigour for exercise and some classes to stay fit. She says: “My new love? Pilates. I’m hooked!” She adds: “I did it 23 years ago to help a really bad back following my pregnancy with Jack. Back then, it wasn’t so popular. A lot of dancers did it, but I had no clue!
I looked up the Pilates Foundation and chose a woman who, it turns out, resided just one street away as one of the three instructors. I did Pilates with her for a year, and it did help my back, but I eventually lost my mind. We’re currently working again after we recently reconnected with each other. I’m enjoying it to the point where I can’t help but wonder, “Have I just discovered my exercise thing?” It’s hard b****y work. I practice mat and reformer Pilates, and I recently purchased a small home reformer from QVC after it was neglected.
“I’m now almost daily Pilatesers and feeling more powerful. My legs, waist, and core are all affected by it. Strength and movement are at the heart of the discussion. Children who lack coordination and core strength fall over. That is not who I want to be.
* December 4 is the sale date for the January issue of Woman&Home.
