Eamonn Holmes' friends 'distanced themselves' after pivotal moment

The cracks in Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford's marriage started to show when he ditched his long term management, a pal can reveal.

The GB News host separated from agency YMU in January 2022 while Ruth remained with the company, which helped turn the couple into a brand and secure them a number of big-money deals.

At the time it was reported that he split from the agency after concluding that it was prioritising his daytime TV rival Phillip Schofield over him.

But a former friend said: "That was quite a pivotal moment. Up until that point Eamonn and Ruth shared the same management and they were a proper unit. Their partnership was their brand.

"But then all of a sudden he wanted to focus on his own solo career. The fact that Ruth stayed with YMU says a lot. She is very loyal and she didn't feel the need to leave."

YMU represents a string of top stars including Ant McPartlin, Declan Donnelly, David Walliams and Amanda Holden.

Eamonn then went on to join InterTalent, an agency headed by Jonathan Shalit, whose clients include Good Morning Britain weatherman Alex Beresford.

That same month Eamonn began presenting his new morning show, GB News Breakfast, alongside Isabel Webster, with whom he worked at Sky News.

The friend added: "Some people started to distance themselves from Eamonn and now looking back maybe this was when the cracks in his relationship were starting to show?"

Eamonn is now in a relationship with divorced therapist Katie Alexander - who is twenty two years his junior.

It is believed that Eamonn's relationship with Katie began nine years prior to his split from Ruth, starting with a Twitter exchange in 2015 when Katie responded to one of Eamonn's posts.

It remains uncertain when this interaction developed into a friendship, but it is reported that Ruth discovered Eamonn had been showering Katie with gifts in the year leading up to their separation including taking her and her children to a safari park and gifting them tickets to a Beyonce concert.

In October last year, Eamonn, who is battling health issues and now requires assistance to walk, made the journey up to Yorkshire to present at a charity event linked to Katie's work.

And Katie's ex-husband, George, suggested that she and Eamonn had been 'meeting up' regularly after her marriage ended in 2022.

Reports also state that Katie often stayed at a Surrey hotel conveniently located just ten minutes from where Eamonn and Ruth lived in Weybridge, prior to the public announcement of their separation.

At the weekend, Eamonn and Katie were pictured together during a stop on their romantic cruise. They enjoyed a night out in Ibiza Town on Friday where he was seen playfully touching Katie's bottom.

Then on Saturday they went on a shopping trip around the capital's cobbled streets. Divorced mum Katie, 42, has been seen driving a £50,000 Mercedes and wearing expensive jewellery.

Last week Express Online revealed the couple are now only communicating through their lawyers.

Ruth has hired a £400-an-hour lawyer called Catherine Costley, worked under the country's top divorce lawyer, "Steel Magnolia" Baroness Fiona Shackleton, who represented Charles in his split from Diana, and Sir Paul McCartney, turned to her several months ago as she seeks to end her 14-year marriage to Eamonn with a financial settlement.

We also told how Ruth will be taking full ownership of their pet pooch Maggie as their divorce battle heats up.