After her much-lauded appearance on I’m A Celebrity! spin-off show Unpacked earlier this month – where she supported her Loose Women pals Jane Moore and GK Barry in the jungle – Ruth Langsford is said to be excited for 2025, with a potential new romance on the horizon.
Sources tell Closer that Ruth – who’s told pals that ‘life begins after divorce’ – is ready for her next chapter, ahead of her impending divorce from Eamonn Holmes, but her elation at moving on is said to have left Eamonn ‘angry and jealous’.
Our insider says, ‘Ruth’s sass is definitely back. She’s ready for exciting new adventures and a new man – if and when it’s on her terms – but for now, she’s not overly fussed about jumping into anyone’s bed but her own. Girls’ nights out and piña coladas are filling the void. Her friends are like her armour and they give great advice. Eamonn is just angry and jealous – he’s brought this all on himself but Ruth is keeping dignified.’
Ruth – who’s been supported throughout this difficult time by her friends, including ‘work bestie’ Rylan Clark and Vanessa Feltz – is planning to celebrate her upcoming divorce on a big night out with her friends.
‘On the receipt of her being a free woman, she is going to throw a party,’ the source says. ‘Ruth looks amazing and is taking on a multitude of work offers.’
Ruth’s appearance on Unpacked reportedly left Eamonn, 65, ‘seething and hurt’. He and his new girlfriend, Katie Alexander, 43, made their red-carpet debut as a couple at a star-studded industry event while his ex was in Australia, which some considered a very deliberate move. On her return, Ruth broke her silence about her divorce drama, implying that her split from with her estranged husband Eamonn has not been going ‘well’.
During a discussion on Loose Women about divorce, Ruth, 64, made a rare and brief comment on her personal life as she spoke with Coleen Nolan, Mariella Frostrup and Kelly Holmes. When Mariella said, ‘That’s a whole other subject, isn’t it? How to divorce well,’ Ruth replied, ‘Oh, tell me about it’. When her fellow panellists showed their surprise, she quickly cut to an ad break.
Earlier on in the show, the presenter spoke about divorced parents who make their children choose sides – which could be considered as a pointed remark at Eamonn, with whom she shares 22-year-old son, Jack. Ruth’s latest comments show there’s more going on behind the scenes of their ‘bitter’ split, as sources reveal that she’s looking forward to a fresh start in 2025.
‘Ruth has had a whirlwind year. She had the most amazing time in Australia but, personally, it’s been very, very hard and sad,’ the insider says. ‘Ruth will be marking this Christmas with people who truly love her – she won’t be missing him one bit. She’ll toast the year out to a bitter divorce and in with the New Year’s exciting dawn of prospects and to being “free”.’
Once considered one of the strongest TV couples around, Ruth and Eamonn shocked the nation in May when they announced the end of their 27-year relationship – and 14 years of marriage. While she continues to wear her wedding ring as a sign of respect, insiders reveal that the ongoing drama – especially with Eamonn going so public with his new romance – has taken a toll on her.
‘Ruth is tired of the divorce process and just wants it over and done with. She’s mentally exhausted. She can’t help but feel like it’s 14 years wasted and the man she was married to is no more,’ the source reveals. ‘Ruth says it’s soul-destroying to be unpicking a marriage of 14 years. She doesn’t recognise Eamonn anymore.’
The insider adds that Ruth doesn’t like the ‘narrative Eamonn is spinning’. ‘He’s making a fool of himself’, they add. ‘She finds it embarrassing.’
‘They only talk through lawyers nowadays. There’s a lot of mudslinging going on between the pair behind the scenes, but Ruth is letting her lawyer deal with all that. There is hope that they can be friends for Jack’s sake, but at the moment, it’s very raw and they’re taking time out from each other until they get the divorce over with.’