Eamonn Holmes has revealed fears he has just four years to live, after recounting how his dad, Leonard, died of a heart attack at the relatively young age of 64.
The 60-year-old TV personality, who co-hosts This Morning with his wife Ruth Langsford, admitted he’s become more aware of his mortality in recent years.
Speaking on The Journey podcast with Pete Snodden, he said: ‘My father was dead at 64. He died of a heart attack. That gives me four years. Ruth says, “Don’t talk like that,” but you do think like that.’
Fears: Eamonn Holmes has revealed fears he has just four years to live, after recounting how his own dad died of a heart attack at the relatively young age of 64. Pictured in January
The Belfast-born star went on to discuss the things he’d like to achieve as he continues with his long-running career in television, explaining: ‘There’s projects that I crave and I’ve got interests in lots of things.’
Eamonn’s admission comes days after bosses of Celebrity Gogglebox issued an apology to him, after he slammed their editing of him during Friday’s show.
The star took to Twitter calling out the show’s ‘idiotic and cruel choice’ to air a clip of him joking after a harrowing moment from the BBC series Ambulance, instead of a filmed clip of him discussing his father’s death.
Sad: Eamonn described his father’s passing as a ‘particularly horrible experience for my Mother, my younger brother and his friend who were all in the car’ (pictured Leonard Holmes)
Producers issued an apology on Saturday to the TV presenter, in which they promised to edit future repeats of the episode.
In a statement shared on Gogglebox’s Twitter, they wrote: ‘We have apologised to Eamonn over what happened in this week’s episode. We understand and respect Eamonn’s feelings on such a deeply personal story.
‘We have taken the decision to edit the episode for future repeats and All4. We look forward to working with Eamonn and Ruth for the rest of the series.’
Eamonn took to his own Twitter to re-share the statement and added his own comment.
Sorry: Eamonn’s interview comes as Celebrity Gogglebox issued an apology after he slammed them for their editing of his appearance on Friday’s show. Pictured with wife Ruth Langsford
Reply: Eamonn took to his own Twitter to re-share the statement and added his own comment
He wrote: ‘For those who judged me wrongly. I think it’s important you read this. It was a bad edit and we move on with what should be a fun experience on what is almost always a very entertaining programme. Thank you @C4Gogglebox.’
He then shared the statement to his Instagram, but this time wrote: ‘After last night’s clumsy edit which led to a huge amount of distress and outrage to viewers ,myself and my family…. Thank you, We move on and look forward to making fun TV.’
It comes after Celebrity Gogglebox was removed from the catch up service All4 in light of Eamonn’s outburst.
Fans took to Twitter to complain the episode had been removed from the online service, in some cases while they were still watching the programme, leading the (now correct) speculation it’s being re-edited following Friday’s backlash.
‘Clumsy edit’: He then shared the statement to his Instagram, writing, ‘After last night’s clumsy edit which led to a huge amount of distress and outrage to viewers, myself and my family’
Drama: Celebrity Gogglebox was removed from the catch up service All4 after Eamonn criticised the show for omitting a scene of him discussing his father’s death
On Friday, Eamonn criticised Celebrity Gogglebox for bosses’ ‘idiotic and cruel’ choice to air a clip of him laughing and joking instead of discussing his father’s death.
The broadcaster hit out in a string of tweets claiming bosses chose to feature him comically reacting to a harrowing moment in BBC’s Ambulance, instead of discussing the moment his father died of a heart attack.
TV veteran Eamonn appeared on the show alongside wife Ruth Langsford, 60, who he presents on This Morning with.
Following the episode, he took to Twitter and shared: ‘In reply to a number of complaints …. I am hurt beyond belief that @C4Gogglebox chose not to use me talking about my Father dying from a heart attack at the side of a road…
Furious: The broadcaster hit out in a string of tweets claiming bosses chose to feature him comically reacting to a harrowing moment in BBC’s Ambulance
‘[They] replace it with a funny story following a young lad giving his Father CPR. Idiotic and cruel edit.’
He then shared: ‘So following a tragedy that has forever haunted my family, I am in no mood for criticising holier than thou mouthpieces on here who haven’t gone through what we did.
‘I had nothing but praise and emotion for the Ambulance control room TV programme. An atrocious edit.’
Finally the star wrote: ‘How my Father died was a particularly horrible experience for my Mother, my younger brother and his friend who were all in the car.
‘The resuscitation in The BBC Ambulance programme was as close as could be to my Dad’s passing. Yet I am the one edited to make it look like a laugh.’
Emotional: In the scene that Eamonn criticised, the celebrities were moved by a touching story where a child phoned 999 to report that her father was having a heart attack
Hurt: He said, ‘I am hurt beyond belief that @C4Gogglebox chose not to use me talking about my Father dying from a Heart Attack at the side of a road and replace it with a funny story’
In the scene Eamonn criticised, the celebrities were moved by a touching story where a child phoned 999 to report that her father was having a heart attack.
He lost consciousness, and appeared to have died, but the child was amazingly able to resuscitate him with the help of the emergency services call operator.
The show then featured Eamonn discussing the moment he frantically drove his then-pregnant wife Ruth to the hospital in 2002 so she could give birth to their son Jack.
Eamonn said: ‘All I can say is, when your contractions started when you had Jack. I don’t like singing my own praises, but thank goodness I was the ambulance that day, I got you there in the nick of time.’
When Ruth said she still had to give him directions to the hospital he shared: ‘Look, did I get you there? Did you have the child in the hospital under medical supervision? All’s well that ends well, thanks to me.’
Joking: Eamonn said, ‘All I can say is, when your contractions started when you had Jack. I don’t like singing my own praises, but thank goodness I was the ambulance that day’