‘It’s very messy, he’s clashing with people all the time… patience is wearing thin’: Why Eamonn Holmes is in ‘huge trouble’ as insiders reveal he is causing chaos at GB News… and why he could QUIT Britain

She was once hailed as the royalty of daytime television, watched by millions and earning a salary to match.

But now life has become so difficult for struggling presenter Eamonn Holmes that he is no longer as popular with his colleagues as he once was.

Those he worked with at GB News, where he hosted the breakfast show, say he was often ‘in a bad mood’ and ‘increasingly clashing with colleagues’ at the station as he struggled to overcome financial difficulties which he said were devastating him.

Eamonn last week admitted he was forced to pay a further £250,000 for an unpaid tax bill after HMRC sought repayment from the period he claimed to be a freelancer, with the authority insisting it was not during the days he hosted Sky’s Sunrise morning programme.

Eamonn has recently battled a series of health problems, endured a messy divorce from wife Ruth Langsford, and admitted this week that his clashes with HMRC continue to devastate him despite having already repaid more than £1 million.

Sources say the Breakfast star, 65, is now regularly under increasing pressure despite moving on with therapist girlfriend Katie Alexander, 43, and insiders admit he is in a “tough spot”.

As he attacked the taxman this week, he described HMRC’s pursuit of him as ‘theft’ because he was claiming ten years of backdated tax after using a freelance loophole to avoid paying traditional income tax.

Holmes was married to Ruth Langsford for 14 years and even worked together during that time, becoming one of British daytime television’s beloved couples.

Speaking in his native Northern Ireland, Holmes said: ‘They still want another quarter of a million pounds from me… I’ve already paid them over a million but they won’t stop. It’s still ongoing and they want another £250,000. They destroyed me.

‘They came up behind me and said: “Did we always say you were self-employed? Yes, we thought about that, you’re not, so we want ten years’ back tax and national insurance.” So they financially ruined me at the most vulnerable time of my life.’

He added: ‘I had to sell my house in Belfast. I had a place in Portugal and had to sell it. I still owe them a quarter of a million pounds.

‘I went back and appealed twice and lost twice. And the attorney fees are absolutely horrendous.

‘So this, on top of my health issues, I also had a tax situation that wasn’t over yet. This is theft.’

But despite speaking candidly about the situation, those working with him at GB News say he is ‘clearly struggling’ with the pressure mounting on his shoulders.

As one source told me: ‘It feels like everything is falling apart. What happens on screen and what happens off screen are very different.

‘Eamonn still turns the camera on when the cameras roll, but other than that it’s very complicated. He’s in a bad mood and everyone behind the scenes feels it.

‘He’s constantly clashing with people and now that it’s clear he’s still in a lot of trouble with the taxman, it’s all becoming clear.

‘People are running out of patience a bit.’

Throughout his career Eamonn has worked in TV for GB News, Sky News, ITV, BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5 and has written for the Daily Express and Daily Mirror.

But some of his friends are now pressuring him to return to Ireland and ‘be a star there’.

‘He will have a much better life,’ someone said. ‘But he seems to be clinging on to his fame in England. It’s all so sad.’

His divorce from Ruth continues to become increasingly fraught as financial turmoil still mounts as he attempts to separate a complex web of business interests and assets.

While Eamonn is in trouble with the taxman, Ruth’s business boasts more than £1 million cash in the bank according to the latest accounting figures, while they also remain joint directors and shareholders of another joint company, Holmes and Away Ltd.

The entity holds assets of around £10,000, with debts of around £65,000 from its administrators, according to the latest published figures signed by Eamonn.

Eamonn and Ruth were once daytime television’s golden couple, but today it looks like both their futures are on hold due to money pressure (hers, not his).

Exes struggle to separate their complex web of business interests and assets, further straining their finances

Holmes also took an unexpected jab at her one-time close friend and ITV colleague Lorraine Kelly as she spoke about her ongoing tax troubles this week.

They cheered up This Morning’s Fridays from 2006 and quickly became one of the country’s most acclaimed presenting duos, filling in for Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby during the holidays.

But the shine began to fade. In 2020, after 15 years on the couch, the 65-year-old presenter was suddenly shown the door by ITV.

And the Daily Mail recently told how Eamonn left management agency InterTalent after three years, joining the firm run by legendary showbiz agent Jonathan Shalit in a bid to distance their careers following his split from Ruth.

It comes amid growing rumors of his increasingly temperamental behavior, described by a colleague as a ‘miserable goat’, and his expulsion from a long-running gig hosting a major awards event in Ireland, another blow, after organizers became increasingly frustrated with his physical limitations.

He was replaced by fellow broadcaster Ryan Tubridy as head of The Irish Post Awards for the first time since 2013.

A source said of the change: ‘The truth is that Eamonn is an Irish legend, but things didn’t go so well last time around and it is felt it is time to move on to more suitable talent waiting in the wings.

‘This time it felt crazy to stick with it even though it had been such a big part of things for so long.’

Eamonn spoke about his ongoing tax headaches this week in support of his six-day live tour of Northern Ireland, titled This Is My Life, in which he promises to tell fans the inside story of his journey from the ‘humble beginnings’ to the ‘dazzling heights’ of national television.

But he also dealt an unexpected blow to his one-time close friend and ITV colleague Lorraine Kelly, who won a reprieve in her battle against HMRC in similar circumstances.

Lorraine claimed that she ‘played the character of Lorraine Kelly’ in her TV work; Eamonn said he refused to do so despite the increasing bills.

He added: ‘You know, I could say I’m an actor playing the role of Eamonn Holmes, but I’m not that, I’m the same off screen as on screen.

‘There is no different personality for me.’

In response to their claims, an HMRC spokesperson said: ‘We take the welfare of all taxpayers seriously and are doing everything we can to help those who contact us streamline their tax affairs, including offering affordable payment plans.’

Eamonn also recently lashed out over his mobility issues, saying live on air that “nobody cares” about his “special needs”.

He exploded: ‘You know what? You can’t even get a phone call to the hotel anymore. You need to go to a website, but I don’t want to go to a website.

‘I want to talk to people and explain that I have special needs. ‘I need a bathroom with bars so I can hold on to the shower and stand up, but you can’t talk to anyone.’

This is a sad situation for a man who was once a television star. No wonder his colleagues found him difficult.