Eamonn Holmes has confirmed that he is leaving This Morning for GB News, following widespread speculation about a possible move.
The presenter, who will be ending his 15-year stint on the ITV morning show, said that he’d long “admired” GB News, which he will be joining in early 2022.
“I’ve admired GB News from the beginning for its clever mix of punchy debate but delivered with warmth and even some fun,” he said in a statement.
“I’ve spent my career on broadcasting firsts and start-ups, and GB News is one of the most exciting yet. It’s just the kind of shake-up the industry needs.”
The move was previously reported last month, but Holmes has now confirmed the news. It’s not yet known whether his wife and This Morning co-presenter Ruth Langsford will be joining him and other GB News contributors, including Nigel Farage and Dan Wootton.
Last year, Holmes was widely criticised when he appeared to offer support for a conspiracy theory linking COVID-19 to 5G phone masts during a segment on This Morning.
Ofcom later ruled that Holmes’ “ambiguous comments were ill-judged and risked undermining viewers’ trust in advice from public authorities and scientific evidence”.
Responding to the backlash, he said on the following day’s programme: “Every theory relating to such a connection has been proven to be false and we would like to emphasise that. However many people are rightly concerned and are looking for answers and that’s simply what I was trying to impart yesterday.
“But for the avoidance of any doubt I want to make it completely clear there’s no scientific evidence to substantiate any of those 5G theories. I hope that clears that up.”
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