HOLMES AWAY
Eamonn to quit This Morning for ‘anti-woke’ news
EAMONN Holmes is poised to join struggling GB News and end his 15-year stint hosting This Morning.
His decision to join the “anti-woke” news channel comes after he infuriated ITV at the height of the pandemic by suggesting conspiracy theories linking coronavirus to 5G phone masts should be listened to.
He was rapped by Ofcom and forced to issue a clarification the following day.
But a few months later, he and wife Ruth Langsford, both 61, were dropped from their Friday slot and replaced by Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond.
Now Holmes is poised to become a big-name signing for beleaguered GB News, where he is expected to front his own show several times a week.
One source said: “Holmes’s move to GB News marks the end of an era. He’ll 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.”
His decision to join the little-watched station will have a knock-on effect for Langsford, with whom he fronts This
Morning in school holidays. A favourite with viewers, she is unlikely to remain on the show without him but is expected to continue as Loose Women regular.
GB News, funded by investors including Discovery to the tune of £60million, launched in June with a brief to “champion balanced debate”.
Initially beset by technical difficulties it has since suffered several big departures – including that of chairman and main presenter Andrew Neil, who left after two weeks and said stress had brought him “close to a breakdown”.
Its presenters include former BBC journalist Simon McCoy, ex-Sky host Kirsty Gallacher, former Coast presenter Neil Oliver, Alastair Stewart, who left ITV News after he was accused of writing a racist tweet, and Nigel Farage.
When it launched, Holmes said he hoped it would get a “decent chance”, adding: “We need a shake-up on the news front. I have huge respect for TV news but this is a reminder news is not just Westminster or a constant woke agenda.” One critic called him a “relic”.
GB News, which attracts tiny audiences often too low to register with the official ratings system, has sparked plenty of controversy.
Presenter Guto Harri quit in July after being suspended for taking the knee during a debate on racism in football.
The row also led to the departures of a director and producer, with Harri branding the station “an absurd parody of what it proclaimed to be”.
Holmes is expected to start on GB News next year.
This job offer came at the right moment for Eamonn and ITV SOURCE ON THE STAR’S NEW ROLE WITH GB NEWS