Loose Women star Ruth Langsford, 63, became emotional as she opened up about her son Jack leaving for university, describing the experience as feeling like 'part of my heart ripped out'. The television presenter shared her raw emotions during a live video chat with Hello! magazine, admitting she kept her son's bedroom door shut and cried into his pillow.
Ruth, who shares 21-year-old Jack with husband Eamonn Holmes, said the first week without him at home was 'horrendous'. She recalled: 'I remember coming into his bedroom and crying and getting hold of the pillow, and I could smell him on the pillow, and had a good old cry, and then shutting the door.' The admission prompted an outpouring of support from fans, including Blue Peter's Katy Hill, who commented: 'Oh my goodness! Eldest off to uni in September and you’ve set me off.'
This is not the first time Ruth has spoken about the pain of empty nest syndrome. In 2020, she told Loose Women she felt 'absolutely bereft' when Jack left for Salford University, and last year she admitted to Woman and Home: 'I felt like I’d had my womb ripped out. It was physical pain.' However, she noted that Jack seems happy and she no longer gets as upset each time he leaves.
Ruth also reflected on the support she received from Eamonn and Jack during the 'hardest year of her life' following the death of her sister Julia in 2019. She said work gave her structure and focus, adding: 'I needed that, because I could lie and cry all day about my sister.'
