TV Ruth: It seemed wrong to be cheery on screen... my heart was breaking
Star says husband Eamonn saved her after her sis died
RUTH Langsford considered quitting TV following the death of her sister Julia last year, she has admitted.
The This Morning presenter said: “It seemed wrong to be cheery on screen, when, inside, my heart was breaking.” Ruth credits husband Eamonn Holmes with making her realise she had “so much to live for in
Julia’s memory”.
Julia, who Ruth described as “the kindest, most helpful, gentle soul you could ever meet”, sadly took her own life in June at the age of 62 after a long battle with depression.
In the aftermath, Ruth, 60, felt “no motivation or desire” to be in the public eye.
For the first month, Eamonn comforted his grieving wife as she would “cry, scream and sob”, Ruth told Best magazine.
He then sat her down for a “soft but strong” talk to encourage her to live her life and resume her career as a tribute to her sister.
Ruth said: “Eamonn pointed out that he was, in effect, losing
Ruth & Julia not one, but two of the most precious people in his life – Julia and me. He showed me how I had so much to live for in Julia’s memory – and beyond.”
Julia lost her battle with depression last year. Eamonn, 60, begged Ruth not to let the illness triumph over her, too.
She said: “He pleaded with me not to let it win, by ruining everything I had achieved – and still had to celebrate.”
One of Ruth’s first TV appearances after Eamonn’s words of encouragement was on ITV’s Play Your Cards Right, alongside her husband.
The episode, which aired earlier this month, saw Ruth become emotional as she won the top prize of £33,000 for Alzheimer’s Society, for which she is an ambassador. She said it was a win for her late dad, Dennis.
He had Alzheimer’s for 17 years before he died in 2012, aged 85.
Eamonn said he was “proud of her for all she does in the fight against this cruel disease”. Ruth thanked her “darling” husband “for always being by my side”.
■ The full interview is in this week’s Best magazine, out now.
RUTH LANGSFORD ON HUSBAND’S SUPPORT
He showed me I had so much to live for in her memory