Top News

Eamonn Holmes' 'horrendous' health battles as stroke leaves host hospitalised
Reach Daily Express | April 11, 2026 10:39 PM CST

Eamonn Holmes is facing a fresh health battle to his list of struggles. The former This Morning star was rushed to hospital this weekend after suffering a stroke.

The GB News presenter, 66, has been absent from his Breakfast Show in recent weeks. A health update was announced by the broadcaster on Saturday as they issued a statement. It read: "Eamonn was taken ill last week and it was later confirmed he had suffered a stroke. 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." The medical emergency is the latest in a long list of health ailments that Eamonn has suffered from. In a deeply moving remark made in 2024, the Belfast-born star suggested he was living on "borrowed time", as his father tragically passed away at 65 from a heart attack. This came during his appearance at the TRIC Awards, which represented his first solo public outing since his split from Ruth Langsford in June that year, following 14 years of marriage. Nevertheless, Eamonn admitted he had considered not attending owing to the pain he was enduring.

At the event, Eamonn, who arrived in a wheelchair fitted with various "gadgets", confessed he was "not OK" and it was "not a good time at all". He further disclosed details about a surgical procedure and how he had "two things in my back I don't want".

Speaking to The Mirror, he said: "I wasn't going to come, but I've got this new chair with all these gadgets. I had an operation a year and a half ago, and two things went wrong so I have two things in my back I don't want. So I'll happily accept this."

At a later time, speaking on the Session 7 podcast, Eamonn said: "I'm sick. I'm in a wheelchair. That's been horrendous to deal with for two years. Certainly I don't think TV wants to know you when, I mean there's nothing - you and I are talking and no one can tell there's anything wrong, but I can't get up."

Double hip replacement

In 2016, it came to light that Eamonn had undergone a double hip replacement after having "lived with acute pain for so long", leaving him "limping and dragging" his leg and unable to stand for lengthy periods or walk significant distances.

During the preceding five years, Eamonn had been unable to watch his son Jack (whom he shares with Ruth) play golf, according to the Mail. He was equally incapable of standing on the touchline alongside other fathers at football matches.

He told the publication: "They're all standing and I'm sitting there like an old man in the sturdy folding picnic chair."

Shingles

Eamonn previously disclosed to Loose Women his battle with shingles in 2018 and how he was forced to manage his son Declan's wedding while contending with the excruciating viral rash (caused by the varicella zoster virus).

His bout of shingles was reportedly so severe that he was unable to present This Morning, with photographs of his face displaying swelling, scabs and red marks being shown on screen.

He quipped: "This is me with shingles looking like Quasimodo there and as you can see from that, it's quite brutal." Shingles is a serious infection that can trigger a painful rash.

Chronic back pain

In 2021, the presenter laid bare the difficulties he was experiencing as a result of back pain, a condition he described at the time as originating from a "trapped sciatic nerve", though he admitted he didn't know "quite how it initially happened". He revealed that his condition was having a significant impact on his family life, worrying that his children were at times left "embarrassed" as he struggled to get around using crutches and a walking stick, admitting to the Sun: "I don't walk - it's more of a wobble. It has been very difficult this year."

Eamonn further disclosed that he had been unable to walk for several months, and his condition had "taken its toll" on those closest to him, including Ruth, who found herself having to care for him.

Back operation

A year on, Eamonn was compelled to step away from his presenting role at GB News to undergo back surgery, having previously spoken openly about his struggles following a dislocated pelvis which caused three slipped discs.

In a frank admission to the Express, Eamonn described how the procedure would "hopefully relieve pressure" on his sciatic nerve, despite the associated risks.

He said: "It's an operation that carries a 20 percent risk of going wrong, but such is the pain and restrictions that I have been suffering for the past 18 months, I've decided it is a risk I am willing to take.

"In fact, it's a risk I want to take because, at this moment in time, nothing could seem worse than the constant pain that runs through my lower back and legs."

Fractured shoulder

Yet during that same year, he suffered a further setback when he fractured his shoulder after a fall at his then-Surrey home, though he remained determined to be "trying to look on the bright side". Speaking to GB News, he said: "It's been a hellish few weeks. But day by day I'm improving and I am remaining positive and trying to look on the bright side."

Eamonn disclosed that he would require "extra time off" to recuperate, before praising the NHS staff caring for him as "amazing".

He went on to say: "Also, I really must say a heartfelt thank you to the doctors and nursing staff who have been looking after me. They all are amazing. God bless."

Eye surgery

In a surprising development just two months ago in October, it emerged that Eamonn had undergone an operation for an eye injury. He broke the news on his Instagram page, posting photographs of his bandaged eye.

While he chose not to reveal the cause of the injury at the time, he did note that one patch was "put on in hospital", and that he'd added a second, cheekily remarking you "should see the other guy".


READ NEXT
Cancel OK