Ruth Langsford admits "I just can't leave it" as she recalled an awkward moment while out shopping with her son Jack Holmes.
Loose Women panelist Ruth, 65, shares 23-year-old Jack with her ex-husband Eamonn Holmes. The famous couple however split in 2024, calling time on their 14-year marriage.
During an appearance on the There I've Said It podcast, Ruth admits her family "hate" going to the shops or restaurants with her. This, she admits, is because she gets frustrated at slow or poor service, reports Devon Live.
Ruth said: "This is why my family hates shopping or going to restaurants with me. I can't leave it, so I was in a very well known store and saw this really nice pair of trousers. It was quite a while ago so Jack was a teenager, and I saw this really nice pair of trousers and I wanted them in black, they were in blue or something.
Recounting her encounter with a shop assistant, she said, "I saw a member of staff, if you can find one, and then I go, 'Hi, excuse me', I was very polite, 'Do you do these trousers in black? There's navy there but have they got them in black'.
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"He just looked and he went, 'No', so I went 'Oh, okay'. Walking around the store, I found them in black. Can I leave it? No I can't."
Highlighting her determination, Ruth added, "Jack's going, 'Mum, leave it', and I went, 'No, I'm going to search the store for him', it wasn't an easy find, I got the black ones and I was like, 'Where is he? Where is he?'"
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"I found him and I went, 'Hi', and I'm really sarcastic, 'So it's me again, just to let you know, you do do these trousers in black, and they're just there'. They don't care.
"He went, 'alright' and I went, 'Just in case anyone asks you, they're just here'. I can't leave it."
Ruth recently confessed to experiencing a "sudden shift" in the dynamics with her son. She recounted the turning point when she noticed that her status as the "fun mum" had expired.
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Explaining the transition, she said: "You'll find this, when they are little, they adore you, they love you, they want to be around you all the time."
Always ready for a laugh, Ruth shared one of the jokes she used to share with Jack: "You know like Rizzle Kicks? I'd come in and I'd go, 'Ah, I love Twizzle Sticks, they're great'."
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She fondly remembered how Jack would be amused by her antics at the supermarket: "Jack thought I was hilarious right, and then we'd be in the supermarket and I would dance and he thought I was hilarious."
Yet, suddenly, the mood shifted: "And then suddenly, I can't remember what age, I was in the supermarket, it came on and I was like, 'Twizzle Sticks, Jack!'".
The way he responded marked a new phase: "He was literally like [squirming] 'Mum!' and then it suddenly happens and it's like, oh he doesn't find me amusing anymore and if you talk about sex, like no!".
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Despite her public persona, Ruth is recognised for maintaining her son's privacy, seldom posting pictures of him on her social media accounts. Ruth frequently offers glimpses into her family life during her appearances on ITV's Loose Women and in media interviews.
