Eamonn Holmes Delivers Blistering Verdict on ITV's Future and Ex-Wife's Career
Eamonn Holmes has issued a stark warning about the future of ITV, predicting that his ex-wife Ruth Langsford will soon be out of a job as the broadcaster faces severe financial pressures. The 66-year-old Irish presenter, who co-hosted ITV's This Morning with Ruth from 2006 until 2021, believes the network can no longer afford its flagship daytime programmes.
Budget Cuts Signal Danger for This Morning and Loose Women
Speaking at London's Hippodrome Casino during Hayley Palmer's 'An Audience With... Eamonn Holmes' event on Tuesday night, Holmes described recent ITV budget cuts as a 'danger sign'. In January, brutal reductions saw over 220 jobs axed, with shows like Loose Women and Lorraine moving to a 'seasonal basis' only. Holmes argued that television has fundamentally changed, with diminishing budgets making expensive productions unsustainable.
'Television has really changed. There's not the budgets associated with programmes anymore,' Holmes stated. 'It's quite obvious now that TV now can't afford programmes like This Morning. For the audience they get from what money they spend on it, that's a danger sign, which is a great pity.'
Prediction of ITV's Sale to American Company
Holmes went further, predicting ITV's complete demise as an independent broadcaster. Despite recent talks about ITV selling its Media and Entertainment unit to Sky for £1.6 billion slowing down last month, Holmes believes an American media giant will ultimately purchase the network.
'What's going to happen next, you're going to lose ITV, no doubt about it, and it'll be sold to an American company, or something, and then they're going to make it into a streaming company,' he declared. 'I can't see ITV lasting much longer.'
Broader Television Landscape Under Threat
The veteran broadcaster extended his pessimistic forecast to Channel 4, which he believes will also 'not exist anymore' within the coming decade. When asked how television might save itself, Holmes responded bluntly: 'I don't think it can save itself. Honestly, 10 years from now, it'll be all over, but you'll get it all on Sky or whatever. You will not have general audience stuff like ITV and Channel 4.'
However, Holmes made an exception for the publicly-funded BBC, which he believes will survive despite budget reductions. 'The BBC is big enough. It'll have a much-reduced budget, but it's big enough for radio to be involved in it as well,' he noted, adding that there would be 'a national outcry if anything happened to the BBC.'
Personal Reflections and Mariah Carey Anecdote
Reflecting on his own career, Holmes expressed gratitude for his time on This Morning with Ruth Langsford, whom he split from in May 2024 after 14 years of marriage. 'I've been very lucky to have always enjoyed the jobs,' he said. 'I didn't have to work on a programme that I didn't want to be on, which was good.'
During the same interview, Holmes shared a memorable anecdote about a disastrous encounter with singing superstar Mariah Carey. He revealed that after Carey arrived four hours late for an interview and immediately lay down for a nap, he responded by lying down beside her on the sofa.
'Ms Carey is very tired, she's very tired, she's been up from nine o'clock this morning,' her team explained. Holmes retorted: 'She's been up from f*****g nine o'clock I've been up from four!' before making his unconventional move.
The GB News star described how this sparked fury from Carey's team, leading him to cancel the interview entirely. 'They said "well Ms Carey certainly won't be sitting up," so I said "well Mr Holmes certainly won't be doing the interview," and I tiddled off then,' he recounted.
Holmes's comments come as This Morning continues with new regular presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard, following the exits of Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield in 2023. His warnings paint a bleak picture for traditional British television broadcasters facing unprecedented financial and structural challenges.
