This Morning responds after Eamonn Holmes brands ITV “sly” over exit

By Minnie Wright

Published: Saturday, 19 February 2022 at 12:00 am

In a new interview, Eamonn Holmes, who announced his departure from his long-standing role as This Morning host late last year and has since joined the breakfast team at GB News, claimed ITV “made it look as if I’d walked away from them rather than the other way round”.

“No one explained anything to me,” he told the Daily Mail’s Weekend magazine. “I’m all for TV companies being able to choose who works for them, but it would be nice if you were told why you were going.

“They’re sly,” the GB News presenter continued. “They didn’t want to announce that I’d been dropped because it would adversely affect audience figures, so they made it look as if I’d walked away from them rather than the other way round.

“They had a chat with my agent and announced that I was going to GB News when they’d done no more than ask if I’d be interested in joining them.”

However, ITV has responded to Holmes’ account, with a spokesperson telling RadioTimes.com: “This isn’t a version of events that we recognise and as we have said before we wish Eamonn all of the very best.”

Holmes hosted Friday instalments of This Morning alongside his wife Ruth Langsford for 15 years before his departure.