Eamonn Holmes has suffered through three years of hell that has seen him lose his mother, job, his beloved Belfast home, and now his wife Ruth Langsford.
The former This Morning hosts, both 64, revealed they are headed for divorce on Saturday after work commitments 'took their marriage in different directions'.
The couple tied the knot in 2010 after dating for 13 years - and say that despite their separation, they are 'determined to stay friends'.
In the wake of the shocking news, Eamonn returned to work at GB News and broke his silence on the divorce.
Prior to his shock split, Eamonn has had a tough few years as he lost family members, his home and struggled with crippling health conditions.
Eamonn Holmes has suffered through three years of hell that has seen him lose his mother, job, his beloved Belfast home, and now his wife Ruth Langsford
Eamonn announced that his beloved mother Josie had sadly died at the age of 93 in November 2022.
He took to Instagram to announce the difficult news as he shared a sweet snap of her stood at her front door.
He penned a loving caption with his post in which he said that she was 'reunited with daddy now'.
He said in full: 'My 4 amazing brothers and I said Goodbye for the last time to our beautiful Mum Josie this afternoon. She's at last reunited with Daddy now. That is our only consolation.
'We loved and will miss her so much. Every time I visited her she came to the door to bless me with Holy Water and Wave goodbye. Now sadly it is Goodbye Mummy.'
Her funeral was held at St Patrick's Church in Belfast and was attended by her friends and family, however Eamonn was unable to attend her funeral due to 'health reasons'.
Eamonn's father Leonard died following a heart attack over 30 years ago.
Over the years, Eamonn has been incredibly open about his own crippling health conditions.
In 2016, Eamonn underwent a double-hip replacement operation lasting three-and-a-quarter hours after living with acute pain for many years.
Eamonn announced that his beloved mother Josie had sadly died at the age of 93 in November 2022
Eamonn broke down in tears as he paid tribute to his late father, 31 years after his untimely death
Eamonn with his father Leonard and mother Josephine and two of his brothers in an old family picture
Speaking about his operation at the time, Eamonn said: ' Was I nervous? No! It was just like being on television. In the build-up I was stressed — can I do this? Will I handle it?'
Two years later, Eamonn detailed his battle with shingles and how he was struck with the virus on his son Declan's wedding day.
During an appearance on Loose Women in September 2021, he spoke about his health battle which left him unable to work on This Morning three years ago.
He also shared images of his puffy face covered in marks and scabs during his battle.
Shingles is a viral rash caused by varicella zoster virus, the virus which causes chickenpox, being reactivated. In the UK, 90 per cent of adults have had chickenpox, so will have this virus lying dormant in their nervous systems.
His years of chronic back pain started in spring 2021 - which came completely out of nowhere.
The pain become so severe that it left Eamonn reliant on a walking stick, but soon found out the root cause.
He eventually discovered it was three slipped discs that affected the movement of his right leg.
In September 2022, Eamonn was forced to step away from his GB news show as he underwent vital back surgery to aid his chronic back pain.
His battle with chronic back pain started after a dislocated pelvis led to three slipped discs.
Following his surgery, he revealed that despite physiotherapy, he continues to find his lack of mobility stops him from doing simple things and is forced to rely on others, which he described as 'soul destroying'.
His spinal surgery left him with a weakened left leg, too, and just over two weeks into his recovery from the operation, Eamonn fell backwards down 18 stairs at the Weybridge home, hitting the stone floor at the bottom.
Over the years, Eamonn has been incredibly open about his own crippling health conditions
He underwent spinal surgery in 2022 following years of chronic back pain and previously had a double-hip replacement in 2016
He eventually discovered it was three slipped discs that affected the movement of his right leg
The horrific accident could easily have killed him. Instead, he emerged with a broken shoulder, and his legs further weakened.
The former This Morning host admitted at the time that fracturing his shoulder in a fall is a 'massive setback'.
A year after his spinal surgery, Eamonn underwent a spine and neck stretching procedure in September 2023 after admitting he 'couldn't walk'.
Eamonn admitted he 'hadn't recovered' from his back surgery, confessing: 'I can't run, I can't walk, I can't do anything except watch TV and eat.'
He explained: 'I just got problems last year in my back, which I haven't recovered from. It's not good, it's not a good recipe I have to say.'
Now, Eamonn is focusing on his recovery following years of different health woes and operations.
Ruth recently revealed she fears Eamonn 'might never be 100 per cent right'.
He is having daily physio sessions and either uses a cane or wheelchair to get about, with the support of his wife Ruth.
The Loose Women presenter said she 'lives in hope' that his mobility will improve.
Speaking to Woman's Weekly, Ruth said: 'I don't know how much Eamonn's mobility will improve. We live in hope.
'He does the physio, but there might have to be some acceptance that this might never be 100% right. With any care situation - and there are millions of carers in this country - it isn't always easy. It's testing but we manage as a family.'
Ruth added: 'I look at Eamonn, who's had his health and back problems, and it makes you realise how important your health is.'
The former This Morning host admitted at the time that fracturing his shoulder in a fall is a 'massive setback'
A year after his spinal surgery, Eamonn underwent a spine and neck stretching procedure in September 2023 after admitting he 'couldn't walk'
He has ongoing daily physio sessions and either uses a cane or wheelchair to get about, with the support of his wife Ruth
Earlier this year, Eamonn revealed he had to sell his beloved house in east Belfast to pay off a huge bill after a £250,000 tax battle with HMRC .
The TV presenter admitted he feels 'bitter' about having to sell his house after losing two appeals against HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which set him back 'hundreds of thousands of pounds in legal fees'.
Speaking in an interview with his former UTV colleague Gerry Kelly, due to be screened next month, Eamonn claimed tax officials ruled he was a staff member with broadcasters rather than freelance.
They allegedly asked for 10 years of retrospective tax and national insurance payments from him.
He claims he never received holiday or sick pay, though he said he wasn't looking for sympathy. 'It's like they have taken away everything I ever worked for,' he tells the show on NVTV.
In response Eamonn's tax battle
