In the spotlight

As Ruth steps into the Strictly spotlight, has Eamonn been left in her shadow?

Ruth Langsford & Eamonn Holmes

It’s hard to imagine Ruth without Eamonn and vice versa. Together the pair make TV gold, with millions tuning into their shows including ITV’S This Morning and How The Other Half Lives on Channel 5 to enjoy their infectious on-screen banter.

But after the news emerged that Ruth Langsford will be starring on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, it appears the 57-year-old is starting to outshine her husband. Ruth’s profile has risen steadily since she landed the plum role of main anchor on Loose Women. She’s become a fashion guru for 40-plus women with her own QVC clothing line and is an ambassador for the Alzheimer’s Society, as well as appearing on several panel shows, including ITV2’S Celebrity Juice.

Power couple

Now, even Eamonn has noticed that his wife has started to overtake him in the popularity stakes. In a recent chat with Woman he revealed, ‘Everywhere I go, people ask me, ‘Where’s Ruth?’ They aren’t interested in me in the slightest and increasingly that’s the thing.’

Eamonn had always been the more famous of the two, becoming a household name presenting alongside Lorraine Kelly on GMTV in the 1990s. He bolstered his credentials as a broadcasting heavyweight by anchoring Sunrise on Sky News, a role he quit in September last year. But their good-humoured double act on This Morning on Fridays and during school holidays, stepping in for the show’s main hosts, Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, has helped springboard Ruth into the presenting stratosphere in her own right. And with Strictly on the horizon, this is surely only going to continue.

Meanwhile, showbiz insiders predict that Ruth will shine on this year’s show, mirroring the success of BBC Breakfast’s Susanna Reid in 2013, who finished third before landing a lucrative presenting gig at ITV.

But Eamonn is only too happy to see his wife’s solo success. He told Woman, ‘I do think we are lucky that, unlike Richard and Judy, we are seen as separate too.’ And far from just boosting her own profile, Ruth’s Strictly stint could do wonders for the ‘Ruth & Eamonn’ brand, cementing their status as the king and queen of daytime telly.

Curse or blessing?

And the duo, who have been together for over 20 years and married for seven, are also undaunted by the fabled ‘Curse of Strictly’ that has sparked a cavalcade of celebrity break-ups over the years. Indeed, during a live segment on This Morning, they even had a laugh about the possibility of Ruth being waltzed away. Eamonn, a Manchester United superfan, jokingly asked if he had to attend every show. ‘It’s the start of the football season,’ he said. ‘If I don’t turn up, they’ll say that the curse of Strictly has struck, but one man’s Strictly curse is another man’s blessing.’ Before Ruth added with a chuckle, ‘Don’t ever leave your wedding ring on the side of the basin, because they’ll see you without your wedding ring.’ While it may be true that the show can be the catalyst that ends a troubled romance, we’re sure nothing can come between Eamonn and Ruth.