Eamonn Holmes, 64, lands in Spain for holiday with new girlfriend Katie Alexander, 42, after split from wife Ruth
EAMONN Holmes has been pictured at Barcelona airport with his new girlfriend Katie Alexander ahead of their Mediterranean cruise.
The veteran broadcaster, 64, has whisked his younger lover, 42, away for some late summer rest, relaxation and sunshine – though the weather in the Spanish city was lashing it down.
Eamonn, who has suffered severe back troubles in recent years, was seen in a mobility scooter as Katie pushed luggage behind him.
Katie looked stylish in a stripy cardigan, beige trousers and teetering perspex heels as she walked through arrivals.
The pair, who flew to Spain from London Heathrow, paused for a chat at one point, with Katie pointing out something in the distance to attentive Eamonn.
She flicked out her long blonde hair as she walked through the airport, with Eamonn following close by.
GBNews host Eamonn wore a navy jacket over a white shirt for the jaunt abroad and was seen being helped into a waiting vehicle once they had all of their belongings.
Eamonn split from his Loose Women host wife Ruth Langsford in May after she discovered messages from another woman on a laptop.
The romantic holiday has left Ruth and her close friends gobsmacked, sources told us.
The star went out for a meal with her and Eamonn’s ‘TV son’ Rylan Clark days ago and she endorsed a pal’s comment that “laughter is the best medicine”.
Just days after Eamonn left their home earlier in the year he was holed up in a bachelor pad with divorced mum-of-three Katie a regular visitor.
One source said: “The cruise is just the latest proof of their closeness.
“Katie has been telling pals she and Eamonn are going to be for keeps — and now everyone is starting to believe her.
“Eamonn’s zest for her — the latest being this all-expenses-paid trip — has wowed Ruth and pals. He has found a new lease of life for sure. Everyone is amazed.”
Eamonn and relationship counsellor Katie have already been away together on a trip to his native Belfast.
And Katie sparked wedding rumours after being seen wearing a ring as she ran errands near his home in Kingston upon Thames, South West London.
Eamonn, who had a double hip replacement in 2016, had back surgery last year and broke his shoulder in a fall in January. At one point he needed a wheelchair.
The GB News breakfast host became close to Katie while still living with Ruth, taking her and her family to a safari park in February and sharing snaps on social media.
He also treated her to a stay at Center Parcs last year and gave her and her daughter tickets to a Beyoncé gig.
The pair met via Twitter in 2015 when her comment on a post sparked a conversation.
Eamonn has been combining his tumultuous personal life with a painful health battle.
In 2020 he admitted to struggling with chronic back pain and that has only escalated since
The star has been undergoing extensive physical therapy, including sessions in an anti-gravity chamber, and compared his journey to re-learning to walk.
Ruth and Eamonn Relationship Timeline
Before the shock split announcement, Ruth and Eamonn seemed like one of the strongest couples on UK TV – even with their signature bickering style.
Here’s how their romance played out…
1997 – The couple first meet after being introduced by mutual friends, two years after Eamonn splits from his first wife, Gabrielle, with whom he has three children.
1997-2002 – To be respectful to Gabrielle, the couple kept their relationship out of the limelight. Ruth told Daily Mail: “I thought it spoke volumes about the sort of man he was, the sort of father he was and the integrity he had. It made me love him more, not less.”
2002 – Ruth and Eamonn welcome their son, Jack, to the family.
2005 – Eamonn finalises his divorce with Gabrielle.
2006 – The pair begin to host Friday episodes of This Morning together.
2010 – Eamonn proposes to Ruth while at the Cheltenham Races, after asking Ruth’s mother for her hand.
June 2010 – Eamonn and Ruth marry at Elvetham Hall, Hampshire.
2016 – Eamonn undergoes a double hip replacement in the first of many health battles.
June 2019 – On This Morning, Ruth and Eamonn say the secret to their happy marriage. Eamonn credits “compromise, consideration and lots of conjugal,” while Ruth said it was “laughter and an equal marriage”.
November 2020 – Ruth and Eamonn are replaced on their regular Friday slot by Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary in a ‘show shake-up’.
December 2021 – After a year of being moved to the bank holiday presenting slot, both Eamonn and Ruth left This Morning.
January 2022 – Eamonn debuted on GB News, while Ruth stayed with ITV in her long-standing role on Loose Women.
September 2022 – Eamonn undergoes spinal surgery after years of back issues including a trapped sciatic nerve.
November 2022 – Eamonn falls down the stairs of his Surrey home with Ruth and breaks his shoulder, requiring a new operation.
September 2023 – Eamonn has a spine and neck stretching procedure as part of his year-long recovery.
May 2024 – Ruth and Eamonn announce they have split after 14 years of marriage and a 27-year relationship.