GB News presenter Eamonn Holmes recovering in hospital after stroke

GB News presenter Eamonn Holmes is recovering in hospital after a stroke, the broadcaster has said.

In a statement on Saturday, a GB News spokesperson said Holmes, 66, “was taken ill last week and it was later confirmed he had suffered a stroke”.

“He is currently responding well to treatment,” the spokesperson added.

“Eamonn has asked for privacy as he focuses on getting better.

“His colleagues and everyone at GB News wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to welcoming him back to the people’s channel when he is ready to return.”

The Belfast-born broadcaster presents GB News Breakfast with his co-host Ellie Costello.

Alex Armstrong will present in his absence this week, the broadcaster added.

Angelos Frangopoulos, chief executive of GB News, said: “Eamonn is a loved member of the GB News family, and we’re with him every step of the way as he recovers.”

Holmes has long battled issues after dislodging discs in his back which he said previously impinged on his sciatic nerve and affected the mobility of his right leg.

He previously spoke about going through spinal surgery, a double hip replacement, and his struggles walking and using a mobility scooter.

Holmes had a couple of falls in May last year which seem to have taken place only weeks apart.

The former ITV This Morning host was taken to hospital after a first fall at his home, then fell from his chair live on-air.

During his GB News Breakfast show, a crash could be heard while the camera was focused on their guest, commentator Charlie Rowley.

Co-host Ellie Costello could be heard saying “oh my gosh” off-screen, and Holmes pleaded with Rowley to “carry on” before the presenter returned to the show following a break.

Holmes then said: “Welcome back. Good to see you again. Especially good for me to see you again. I am still alive, yes.

“And they’re very wonky wheels on chairs that we’ve got here, and matter of fact, we don’t really like the chairs full stop, do we? They’re a bit slippy and slidey and I’ve slipped and slid off mine there.

“Not the first guest to have done so, we’ve had a few, they have to remain nameless because they’re well known people, but they’ve hit the floor really badly, quite frightening.

“And it was a bit of a shock for me because I’ve had a fall in my bathroom two weeks ago, which hospitalised me, and that hit me again right in the back. (I’m) really, really sore. Really sore.”

He later said the chair “gave way” which meant he was lying flat on his back.

He added: “As the morning goes on, you feel aches and pains.

“The worst thing about this, of course, this was at a time when I was hospitalised two weeks ago for a very similar fall in the same area, back of the head, my neck, my shoulders.

“So it all came back, as it were.”

Holmes told The Sun newspaper in 2022 that his health problems caused issues in his marriage to Loose Women star Ruth Langsford.

“Even my own family are bored of my moaning,” he said.

“It has caused some strain and Ruth is fed up of hearing about it and of me saying I can’t walk the dog or tidy up, but I can’t help it. It’s agony.”

Langsford and Holmes announced their split in 2024, after tying the knot in 2010 following more than a decade together.