Northern Irish presenter Eamonn Holmes is recovering in hospital after suffering a stroke, GB News has said.
The broadcaster said the 66-year-old Belfast man was “taken ill last week” and said it was “later confirmed he had suffered a stroke”.
In a statement on their website, they added: “He is currently responding well to treatment.
“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.”
Holmes joined GB News to front their Breakfast programme back in 2022 after leaving his gig presenting This Morning on ITV alongside former partner Ruth Langsford.
He presents the show most mornings alongside co-host Ellie Costello.
Last month viewers expressed concerns after the veteran broadcaster appeared as if he’d fallen asleep while presenting his show, with some claiming it looked like Holmes had dozed off.
The presenter denied the claims publicly, saying instead he was “just looking down at my mic pack to see why it was not working”.
He added: “Apparently I was sleeping? Whatever!”
Holmes hadn’t presented the show since that incident but had been due back on Monday morning after the Daily Mail reported the Belfast man was on annual leave.
Alex Armstrong will step in to 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.”
Announcing the news on Saturday morning the presenter’s colleague Dawn Neesom said: “I have worked with Eamonn for a long time, I have known him for a long time. Eamonn is not a quitter.
“So much love from everyone here, me personally. I always remember that very first day we worked together back in the 90s. Eamonn, so much love from everyone here, get well big man we want to see you back.”
Fans and viewers also wished him well, with one writing: “Wishing Eamonn a speedy recovery back to good health and the breakfast show.”
Another said: “Wishing Eamonn Holmes a speedy recovery he’s an absolute trouper.”
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The presenter has often spoken openly about his ongoing health struggles over recent years following surgery in 2016 for a double hip replacement.
Last year he described enduring a “physically difficult existence” and explained he has been left in constant pain after a 2021 “disc operation which went wrong in my back and it means I can’t walk” other than “50 yards or something with a stroller device, but basically I’m wheelchair bound”.
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Holmes had a couple of falls in May last year which seem to have taken place only weeks apart.
He was taken to hospital after a first fall at his home, then fell from his chair live on-air.
During his show on that occasion, 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 told The Sun newspaper in 2022 that his health problems caused issues in his marriage to Loose Women star Ruth Langsford.
In May 2024, Holmes and his former partner Langsford confirmed they were set to divorce after 14 years of marriage and 27 years together.
A spokesperson for the couple at the time said: “Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes have confirmed their marriage is over and they are in the process of divorcing.”
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