Eamonn Holmes’ dislike for Phillip Schofield became so severe that he does not regret his outbursts that led to problems at the end of his marriage to his wife Ruth Langsford.
A source close to Eamonn, 64, has revealed he remains steadfast in his candid rants about Phillip, which we can reveal left his wife Ruth appalled towards the end of their marriage.
Ruth is still a regular star on fellow ITV favorite Loose Women, and a source said she felt uncomfortable with her husband speaking out about the channel and how he felt betrayed by them.
She and Eamonn announced their split in May after fourteen years of marriage, after work commitments “took their marriage in a different direction”, and he has since been pictured on holiday with girlfriend Katie Alexander.
The presenter has openly shared his dislike for the star, with the pair’s warring words sparking a feud that has been dubbed one of the biggest in showbusiness.
Eamonn Holmes’ dislike for Phillip Schofield became so severe that he does not regret his outbursts that led to problems at the end of his marriage to his wife Ruth Langsford
A source told MailOnline: ‘Eamonn’s dislike for Phillip had been around for a long time but became very public towards the end of his marriage to Ruth. And as his hatred of him and ITV grew, the cracks in their relationship continued to widen.
‘Ruth became a bit upset with Eamonn for repeatedly criticizing ITV after they were dropped from This Morning.
‘Ruth wasn’t very happy about it. But as she was still a regular member of the Loose Women family, Eamonn criticizing ITV made it somewhat awkward for her.
‘But Eamonn hates Phillip and doesn’t regret what he said, and certainly doesn’t think he threw him under the bus.
“He has no remorse for his behavior; he believes he’s addicted to fame, and he can’t believe he tried to relaunch himself this week with his documentary.
‘Eamonn is trying to move on with his life and has no plans to ever make amends with Philip.’
Eamonn declined to comment when contacted by Ny Breaking.
But a source close to the presenter said it would be wrong to suggest his comments about Philip or ITV had anything to do with the breakdown of his marriage.
A source close to Eamonn has revealed he remains steadfast in his candid rants about Phillip (pictured), which we can reveal left his wife Ruth appalled towards the end of their marriage
She and Eamonn announced in May that they were splitting after 14 years of marriage after work commitments ‘took their marriage in different directions’
Ruth is still a regular star on ITV favorite Loose Women, and a source said she felt uncomfortable with her husband speaking out about the channel and how he felt betrayed by them.
In November 2021, Eamonn and Ruth were controversially axed from This Morning after 15 years and replaced by Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond on the Friday show.
Eamonn was particularly saddened at being let go by ITV, claiming he was never given an accurate reason.
His cull was made even more frustrating by his belief that Phillip had received unwavering support from ITV despite his aberrant behaviour, a belief shared by Phillip’s former co-presenter Fern Britton and Amanda Holden, who briefly co-presented This Morning with him in 2015 . while Holly was on maternity leave.
The incident confirmed Eamonn’s belief that Phillip was constantly being singled out despite his bad behavior behind the scenes, sources claimed.
On Monday, Eamonn angrily lashed out at Phillip ahead of his TV comeback, saying he is ‘very proud that he threw him under the bus’.
Discussing Phillip’s much-criticised comeback to television on Channel 5’s Cast Away show, Eamonn made his feelings clear.
When co-host Isobel Webster revealed on Monday’s GB News Breakfast that Schofield claimed he had been ‘thrown under the bus’, Holmes was quick to respond: ‘If I’m one of the people who threw him under the bus, I’m very proud that I did this…
“This man is addicted to fame, absolutely addicted to fame.”
Holmes – who has made no secret of his dislike for Schofield – later added that Schofield “deserves to live in exile.”
On Monday, Eamonn angrily lashed out at Phillip ahead of his TV comeback, saying he’s ‘very proud that he threw him under the bus’ (pictured with Ruth and Holly Willoughby in 2019)
Rumors of animosity between Phillip and Eamonn have been circulating for months, with the pair dating for about three decades.
While Holmes hosted GMTV, Schofield presented This Morning before Holmes joined him on the daytime show in 2006.
In a bid to keep the peace on the much-loved ITV daytime programme, Holmes and Schofield had tried to keep their mutual grudges to themselves.
When Phillip came out as gay live on This Morning in February 2020, Eamonn was a model of moral support – even though sources say he was furious at being forced to support the man he hated so much.
Today, both have given up such pretenses. They openly despise each other so much that “they would cross the street so they wouldn’t even have to look at each other,” according to a source who spoke to The Ny Breaking.
‘Usually it’s women who get into fights in show business, but Eamonn and Phil’s are by far the most bitchy and cruel fallout on television.
‘They hate each other. Eamonn can’t stand Phil, and although he never used to talk about it, he doesn’t care anymore. He thinks Phil is a disgrace and a liar.
“Phil is keeping quiet about it all, but the feeling is mutual.”
The pair’s feud began with an incident involving Holmes’ ex-wife Ruth Langsford.
In 2019, she filed an official complaint against Schofield after she was interrupted mid-sentence by the presenter while explaining what was going on in her segment of This Morning.
Phillip said live on air at the time: “Guys, we’re going to have to jump in and stop you. I’m afraid we’re a little tight on time at the moment. Thank you, Rutte.’
Unimpressed, Ruth replied, “Well, I only had two words to say,” and slammed down her pen in anger. Schofield subsequently wrote about the exchange in his 2020 autobiography Life’s What You Make It.
Phillip launched his TV comeback this week in the Channel 5 series Cast Away, after leaving This Morning last year following his admission of an affair with a younger male colleague
Eamonn was particularly angry because he had gone to the trouble of supporting Schofield’s arrival on national television.
After being told by ITV bosses about Schofield’s announcement when he and Langsford arrived at work that morning in February 2020, he was seen hugging Schofield.
“Eamonn felt very used by Phil for the coming out scenes,” said an insider. “He and Ruth were told to be there and it all seemed like they were best friends
“Eagle-eyed viewers at the time said it was fake; now we know it was. Eamonn despises Schofield and has done so for a long time.’
The anger only increased after Holmes left ITV. And the moment Schofield admitted his affair with the young man, dubbed Person X by ITV chiefs, he unleashed his fury.
It is thought Eamonn and Ruth were particularly outraged by Schofield’s treatment of his young This Morning colleague, with whom he had an affair behind his own wife’s back.
Ruth knew the young man particularly well, as he had later moved to Loose Women (where she was a presenter).
“Eamonn had a vague idea of it,” said a source close to him. ‘He knew nothing about the relationship and felt lied to, like many of Schofield’s colleagues. That was it for Eamonn. He just couldn’t keep quiet about it anymore.’
Speaking about the young man in an interview on GB News after Schofield’s confession, Holmes said: ‘Ruth and I mainly looked after him.
‘He never talked to us about a relationship, but we knew things were going badly for him. There is an incredible duty of care on that young man.”
During the same conversation, he let Phillip go, saying he “created an atmosphere where people hated him… he didn’t look at anyone. He is a complete and utter narcissist.”
Friends of Schofield say he was ‘very upset’ by the interview and said it added to his already fragile state of mind in the wake of his departure from ITV after admitting his affair.‘