Eamonn bids farewell to ITV with GB News move
EAMONN Holmes is poised to join struggling GB News as a presenter – bringing an end to his 15-year stint on This Morning.
His choice to jump ship to the beleaguered news channel comes after he angered bosses by saying conspiracy theories linking Covid to 5G phone masts should be listened to.
His comment, made live on This Morning, led to more than 400 complaints from viewers.
Eamonn was rapped by Ofcom and forced to issue a clarification on the programme the following day. A few months later, he and presenter wife
Ruth Langsford, both 61, were replaced in their Friday slot by Dermot O’Leary and
Alison Hammond.
Now Belfast-born Eamonn is preparing to become the latest big-name signing for the “anti-woke” GB News, where he is expected to front his own show several times a week from the New Year.
When the station launched in June, Eamonn tweeted: “I hope @GBNEWS gets a decent chance – we need a shake up on the news front.
“May it keep all the other news providers on their toes. I have huge respect for TV news but this is a reminder that news is not just Westminster or a constant woke agenda.”
His departure will have a knock-on effect for Ruth, who is thought to be unwilling to stay on This Morning without him but is likely to continue as a regular on Loose Women.
One source said: “Eamonn will be missed by many ITV viewers. But the truth is, this job offer probably came at just the right moment for both him and ITV.
“All good things come to an end.”
GB News, funded by investors including Discovery to the tune of £60million, set out to “champion balanced debate” earlier in the summer.
But it was beset by technical difficulties, low ratings and high-profile departures, including that of its chairman and main presenter Andrew Neil.
Current GB News presenters include former BBC journalist Simon McCoy, ex-Sky host Kirsty Gallacher, former UKIP leader Nigel Farage and ITN’s Alastair Stewart, who was ordered to leave ITV News last year after he was accused of making an alleged racist remark on Twitter.
Eamonn fronted ITV’s GMTV for 13 years from 1993, before working on Sky’s Sunrise, for 11 years from 2005 and co-hosting This Morning with Ruth from 2006. The couple, who wed in 2010, have a 19-year-old son.