By Bonnie McLaren
Copyright standard
Eamonn Holmes has said he has a “physically difficult existence” after surgery on his back went wrong.
The broadcaster, 65, has experienced a series of serious health issues in recent years, including chronic back problems and nerve damage.
Speaking to ITV News, the presenter said a “disc operation which went wrong in my back and means I can’t walk” other than “50 yards or something with a stroller device, but basically I’m wheelchair bound”.
He added: “It’s a physically difficult existence.”
In the interview with host Pamela Ballantine in Belfast he said he was “homesick” when he left the city in 1986 “and it’s never changed”.
The ITV interview is not the first time Eamonn has been open about his health struggles.
In June, speaking on GB News during a segment on exercise and cancer prevention, the presenter opened up about how his health has deteriorated, leaving him unable to take part in even simple physical activity.
“This makes me feel awful,” he admitted to co-host Ellie Costello and guest Tim Vincent. “Because I would have been pro-exercise, but I can’t move. I’m in a wheelchair now.
“I can’t put on the right trainers, I can’t change, I can’t go to the showers, I can’t do things… I can’t stand up.”
The former This Morning presenter underwent major spinal surgery in 2022 to address chronic pain caused by three slipped discs.
He has also had a double hip replacement and suffered significant damage to his sciatic nerve, affecting movement in his right leg.
After suffering a fall recently at home, the presenter also had a fall on GB News while the camera was focused on commentator Charlie Rowley. A loud crash could be heard off-screen, prompting Holmes’ co-host to exclaim: “Oh my gosh!”
A visibly stunned Rowley immediately moved to help Holmes, but the veteran host quickly reassured viewers, saying: “I’m fine, I’m fine. Carry on, carry on.”
Rowley attempted to continue the segment, but producers swiftly cut to an extended six-minute advert break.
The presenter falling off his chair on GB News happened just weeks after he fell in his bathroom, suffering the “sorest and most powerful” knock to his head.
