Eamonn Holmes, 64, relies on a walking frame and is only able to ‘do the best he can’ amid his crippling health battle and Ruth Langsford divorce

Eamonn Holmes looked somber as he was photographed in public with a walking frame following his split from wife Ruth Langsford.

The 64-year-old presenter and journalist is still recovering from surgery and a shoulder injury that left him out of work for four months at the end of last year.

Eamonn looked very casual in a grey T-shirt and black trousers as he struggled into a London cafe on Friday.

A source said The mirror: ‘He’s doing his best under the circumstances, but there’s not much to smile about.

‘He doesn’t want to do interviews but is keeping a low profile. He is doing his job at GB News and is undergoing physiotherapy to improve his mobility.’

This comes after Eamonn proudly shared a photo of himself on Sunday where he stands unaided, despite his recent health issues.

The presenter, who revealed last week that he needs carers for “simple things”, is confined to a wheelchair due to chronic back pain and also undergoes painful physiotherapy sessions.

In January, he said the “harsh reality” could be that he will never be able to walk unassisted again.

But Eamonn has now shared a photo of himself smartly dressed and leaning against a doorframe of his own accord as his recovery progresses.

He captioned the post: ‘Hard to get up but my next goal is to walk. Going to a birthday party today. How about you?’

Eamonn said he needed carers to help him present GB News alongside Ellie Costello, who replaced regular presenter Isabel Webster last week.

The presenting couple were joined by two guests, Polly and Michelle, to discuss Thursday’s general election.

Michelle, who works in healthcare, said she would like to take Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak and Nigel Farage to her workplace for a day so they could see what she gets up to in her job.

“I don’t finish at 6pm on a Friday afternoon. I work 60 hours a week for £12.50 an hour,” she said.

Eamonn replied: ‘I just want to say, what you’re doing, I’ve been disabled for a year and a half and I have to have a career to do the smallest, simplest things. It’s humiliating and humbling. But thankfully there are carers available.’

In 2016, Eamonn underwent a three-and-a-half hour double hip replacement surgery after living with acute pain for years.

Speaking about his surgery at the time, Eamonn said: ‘Was I nervous? No! It was like being on TV. In the run-up to it I was stressed: can I do this? Will I be able to cope?’

Two years later, Eamonn described his battle with shingles and how he contracted the virus on his son Declan’s wedding day.

During an appearance on Loose Women in September 2021, he spoke about the health issues that prevented him from working on This Morning three years ago.

He also shared photos of his swollen face, covered in scars and scabs, during his fight.

Shingles is a viral rash caused by the varicella zoster virus, the virus that causes chickenpox, reactivated. In the UK, 90 per cent of adults have had chickenpox, so this virus will be dormant in their nervous system.

His years of chronic back pain started in the spring of 2021 – and came completely out of nowhere.

The pain became so severe that Eamonn became dependent on a walking stick, but he soon discovered the cause.

He eventually discovered that it was three hernias that were affecting the movement of his right leg.

In September 2022, Eamonn was forced to quit his British news show after undergoing major back surgery to address chronic back pain.

His battle with chronic back pain began after a dislocated pelvic floor led to three hernias.

After his surgery, he said that despite physical therapy, he still finds that his limited mobility prevents him from doing simple things and that he is dependent on others, which he describes as “soul-destroying.”

After back surgery, he was also left with a weakened left leg. Just over two weeks into recovery from the operation, Eamonn fell backwards down the 18 steps of his Weybridge home, landing on the stone floor.

The terrible accident could easily have killed him. Instead, he emerged with a broken shoulder and his legs further weakened.

The former This Morning presenter admitted at the time that breaking his shoulder in a fall was a “huge setback”.

A year after his back surgery, Eamonn underwent spinal and neck stretching surgery in September 2023 after admitting he ‘couldn’t walk’.

Eamonn admitted he was ‘not recovered yet’ from his back surgery: ‘I can’t run, I can’t walk, I can’t do anything other than watch TV and eat.’

He explained: ‘I just had some back problems last year, which I still haven’t recovered from. It’s not good, it’s not a good recipe, I have to say.’

Eamonn is now focusing on his recovery after years of health problems and surgeries.

Ruth Langsford, their divorced wife’s prime suspect, revealed she feared Eamonn would ‘never be 100 percent right’.

He receives daily physical therapy and moves around with a walking stick or wheelchair, supported by his wife Ruth.

The Loose Women presenter said she ‘hopes’ his mobility will improve.

Ruth told Woman’s Weekly: ‘I don’t know how much Eamonn’s mobility will improve. We live in hope.

“He’s doing the physio, but there may need to be some acceptance that this may never be 100% right. With any care situation – and there are millions of carers in this country – it’s not always easy. It’s a trial, but we’re getting through it as a family.”

Ruth added: ‘When I look at Eamonn, who has health issues and back problems, I realise how important your health is.’