Eamonn Holmes has sparked a storm of controversy after making a bold claim that his ex-wife, Ruth Langsford, might soon find herself out of a job. The 66-year-old TV veteran, who co-hosted This Morning with Ruth for over 15 years, issued a scathing assessment of ITV’s future, suggesting the broadcaster may no longer be able to sustain its iconic morning shows like Loose Women and This Morning. 
In a candid interview at An Audience With Eamonn Holmes at The Hippodrome Casino in London, he blasted ITV for its dire financial situation following massive budget cuts earlier this year, which saw more than 220 jobs axed and several programmes reduced to ‘seasonal’ airing.
Eamonn didn’t mince his words, saying: “Television has really changed. There’s not the budgets associated with programmes anymore. If you even watch TV anymore, you’ve got to ask yourself what programmes you really watch.” 🔥 
He went on to add, “It’s quite obvious now that TV can’t afford shows like This Morning anymore. For the audience they get versus what they spend, that’s a danger sign.” Eamonn also warned that ITV could soon face even more drastic changes, predicting that it could be sold to a foreign media giant. “An American company will buy it, and then they’ll turn it into a streaming platform. I can’t see ITV lasting much longer,” he said.
But it wasn’t just This Morning that was in his firing line. Eamonn also speculated that Channel 4 could soon follow suit. “Channel 4 won’t exist anymore. Honestly, in 10 years’ time, it’ll all be on Sky, but not on the general audience channels like ITV and Channel 4.” 
Despite this, Eamonn believes the BBC, though suffering, will remain standing. “The BBC is big enough. It’ll have a much-reduced budget, but it’s big enough to survive, and there would be an outcry if anything happened to it.”
Ruth Langsford, who co-hosted This Morning with Eamonn until 2021, was married to him for 14 years before their separation in 2024. Eamonn’s comments about her job security came amidst ITV’s ongoing struggles, and it’s clear he feels things are heading in a troubling direction.
Meanwhile, the spotlight is now on the new faces of This Morning – Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, who took over after Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield’s departures. Eamonn’s take on the future of ITV and his ex-wife’s position is sure to make waves, leaving viewers wondering whether the station’s most iconic shows will survive the financial turmoil ahead. 
In a candid aside during the interview, Eamonn also shared a hilarious (and somewhat infamous) tale of his disastrous interview with Mariah Carey, revealing how her tardiness led to him storming out after she turned up four hours late. “I’d been awake since 4 am and she waltzed in four hours late, only to lie down and nap! I wasn’t having it,” Eamonn recalled. “I lay down beside her and said, ‘Either we both lie down, or the interview doesn’t happen.'”
This thrilling glimpse into the high-stakes world of daytime television has left fans on the edge of their seats. Will ITV continue to survive the budget cuts, and will Ruth Langsford be part of the future? The clock is ticking…
