S Poddar
TV presenter Ruth Langsford has made many points for the dignified way in which she has gone about publicizing the embarrassment surrounding her split from Eamonn Holmes, especially as he is currently now dating the woman 22 years his junior. But when some schadenfreude opportunity came her way, then it seems that the TV presenter just could not resist.
But with pictures of Holmes, 64, and his new young flame, Katie Alexander, 42, appearing across headlines, it is uncomfortable for Langsford. They have spent such a long time together that the ending hasn’t been straightforward – least of all now that Holmes is bringing his relationship to an end.
Despite all this, Langsford has been refreshingly composed and serene in public. Then when Holmes rang to check if he could go back to the couples’ £3.5 million marital home in Weybridge, Surrey, to collect holiday clothes for a cruise with Alexander, he was vulnerable to a cheeky reply from her.
Holmes has a significant problem with his back, and he has relied on a stairlift installed to help him get down the curved stairs to his old bedroom. However, when he arrived at the home, he found that Langsford had removed the £2,000 stairlift, making it nearly impossible for him to access his clothes without assistance.
Langsford had gone out when Holmes visited, but she must have known that she was going to cause some sort of inconvenience. Without the stairlift, Holmes would have been found struggling to access the upstairs bedrooms to collect what he needed for the seven-day Mediterranean cruise he had planned with Alexander.
There is this very entertaining story that really describes her attitude when one of her friends said that she decided to take off the stairlift not because she hated Eamonn but because of the hard situation she was facing. “Ruth has remained quiet and classy throughout the whole ordeal,” the friend said. “Even when people bring up what Eamonn has been up to, she just smiles and stays silent.”. But when the opportunity arose to make life a little more difficult for him, she laughed at it. And for her part, after all, she did not even need the stairlift, and she surely knows Eamonn will.
Langsford’s friend said that even their friends are very entertained by the move, considering the circumstances under which the split happened. “It is petty, perhaps, but her friends think it’s brilliant.”. They think Eamonn has really taken her for a ride on how things went and this was her way of taking back a little control, they added. You can imagine how furious Eamonn must have been, especially when he expected to quickly grab his things and head off on holiday.
It must have given Langsford a sense of measure of satisfaction, especially after seeing the photographs of Holmes and Alexander spending their leisure time in various European locations. “It has been humiliating for Ruth to watch their relationship unravel so publicly, and this was her small way of taking back a bit of dignity.”.
Holmes actually installed the stairlift in early 2023, following his operation to alleviate his chronic back problems causing him discomfort due to slipped discs and a dislocated pelvis. While somewhat helpful, Holmes cannot move around as freely as he likes, so the stairlift has become a lifeline. In fact, even TV host and friend Rylan Clark produced a comic video of him taking the ride on the stairlift just days after it had been installed.
After Langsford’s trifling revenge, Holmes and Alexander went on a ride in Barcelona to board one of the several luxury Virgin cruise ships, called The Scarlet Lady. Included on their itinerary are Ibiza and the rest of the Mediterranean tourist destinations, part of a free holiday courtesy of the travel company with whom Holmes has an arrangement. In return, he shall make promotional video content for the brand on social media.
It is reported that Holmes and Alexander started communicating with each other back in 2015 after meeting online. The connection increased with time, and according to reports, Langsford knew about the gift giving by Holmes to Alexander months before they separated. To speak of their public separation, Langsford hasn’t revealed anything on her show, Loose Women. According to a source close to her, “Ruth is moving on with life. She’s all about action, not words.”
Though Langsford has not made any official statement so far concerning her decision to remove the stairlift, sources close to her revealed that she had it disassembled even before Holmes reached home. Her friends are certain that though this decision is emotionally challenging for her, she is tapping into that strength of resilience and also her own individual brand of sense of humor.
In brief, Holmes must be frustrated with the situation, and Langsford’s small act of defiance is probably going to remind everybody that, after all, she isn’t so easily rattled as they may be making her out to be. And if anybody is paying attention, the world is watching the new chapter for Holmes: it’s quietly playing by a parallel script for Langsford-end.
