Ruth & Eamonn’s Christmas
*‘ She hates my presents’ *‘He’d happily spend the big day in a hotel’
They’re one of our favourite TV couples and they’re technically in our homes so often that we thought we should turn the tables and take a look around Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes’ Surrey mansion.
Fans are used to seeing Eamonn and Ruth putting on a united front while presenting some of our biggest shows, but Woman’s Own can reveal that, as well as the usual magic, the festivities can end in fall-outs and tears!
Unsurprisingly, the home is stunning – especially at
Eamonn on Christmas ‘I’d love to go away for the big day’
Christmas. But a lot of work goes into transforming Ruth and Eamonn’s home, mostly on her behalf…
Decorating fun
‘I’ve got various themes,’ Ruth, 57, explains. ‘I have a real tree in the hall, all red, green and gold, with decorations I’ve had for years and a proper fairy on top. We have a black one for the dining room with a silver and white theme and in the sitting room I’ve got another artificial one that’s pre-lit, which is silver and purple.
‘I actually have a Christmas cupboard with red goblets for lunch and Christmas mugs for the tea in the morning,’ Ruth admits.
Looking at the place, you’d struggle to imagine either of them wanting to spend the big day anywhere else. But Ruth admits Eamonn, also 57, would be quite happy to go abroad.
She says, ‘He’d happily go to a hotel, but I still like the chaos of Christmas at home. Christmas in the sunshine just isn’t the same for me.’ While Eamonn adds, ‘I’d love to go to Switzerland or Canada, or Aspen – that romantic lure of powdery snow! The full Bing Crosby Christmas experience.’
This Morning viewers are well used to witnessing Ruth and Eamonn’s hilarious bickering, but what gets them going during the festive period?
A source tells Woman’s Own, ‘They say opposites attract and
Ruth on Christmas ‘I like the chaos of Christmas at home’
that’s definitely true of them. It’s just that Eamonn is so laid-back! He’s great fun, always, but he knows that if he sits still long enough Ruth will do the washing-up or get another round of drinks in.’
Perfect hosts
We know Ruth likes to have a houseful at Christmas, and it should come as no surprise that Eamonn is often in charge of entertaining their guests, but Woman’s Own understands she would like him to help her out a little more, too!
Our insider continues, ‘Ruth goes to great lengths to make sure everyone has a great time. Eamonn sees his role as being the ‘social glue’. But, as Ruth often points out, sparkling anecdotes don’t clean the dishes! Eamonn wishes she would relax a bit more but deep down he knows that if she wasn’t like that then Christmas would be a lot less fun.’
We all know the big day just wouldn’t be the same without a slap-up Christmas meal and there’s no doubt that a great deal of effort goes into what Ruth feeds their guests, with little to no input rom Eamonn…
‘I don’t want a man in my kitchen!’ Ruth says. ‘If Eamonn was a fabulous cook I would leave him to it but I think two cooks in the kitchen both trying to do it their way is a recipe for disaster.’
Present time
Ruth and Eamonn have a son, Jack, 15, and Eamonn is also dad to Declan, 28, Niall, 24, and 26-year-old Gabrielle from a previous marriage. But, even though his kids are all grown up, Eamonn is still the first one awake on Christmas morning.
‘It seems forever that I’ve been daddy, getting up and playing with everything,’ he says. ‘It’s subsided in the past couple of years but I don’t slumber. Christmas of all mornings is about getting up early.’
You’d be forgiven for thinking Eamonn and Ruth struggle when it comes to buying gifts for one another, given that they must have everything they could ever want, but he admits his presents to her have resulted in tears – and not of happiness.
Eamonn says, ‘One Christmas Day I handed her a gold envelope with an awful lot of cash in it. She opened it
Ruth on decorating ‘I have a Christmas cupboard!’
and said, ‘Lovely, what else have you got? you must have got me a box of chocolates or some perfume.’ she went ballistic, threw it at me and stormed upstairs in tears.’
Festive drinks
after the early start – and hopefully no gifts of cash – ruth and eamonn, like a lot of us, enjoy a festive drink or two. But this is often where the playful arguments start…
‘they both like a tipple, which can means they’re always cracking gags and giggling like teenagers,’ our source says. ‘that is, until the drinks have been flowing for a few hours and then he starts winding her up with sarcastic remarks.
‘they love each other, but there are times where ruth could happily strangle eamonn! the combination of booze and cabin fever during this period can make anyone cranky. eamonn always seems to just about get away with it, which just goes to show how much he means to ruth.’
christmas at ruth and eamonn’s sounds like such a barrel of laughs. Fingers crossed our invite for next year doesn’t get lost in the post…
Eamonn on getting it wrong ‘I once gave Ruth cash – she went ballistic’