‘Things are pretty ugly’: Why Eamonn Holmes’ son has chosen to side with stepmother Ruth Langsford as the pair attend Wimbledon and insiders reveal blazing row, damaging claims… and role of presenter’s new partner Katie Alexander

Tennis fans may have had Center Court glued to their screens at Wimbledon this week, but much of that attention is due to the celebs sitting courtside and their pros.

David Beckham brought his mother, actor Richard E. Grant brought his daughter, and Tess Daly brought her best friend Gayle Lawton.

But Ruth Langsford’s choice yesterday could not have been more significant.

Accompanying the 66-year-old presenter to Center Court was Niall Holmes, the youngest son of her estranged husband Eamonn.

Wearing a lime green jacket and oversized sunglasses, Ruth looked completely at ease as she took her seat next to her former stepson, leaning in to chat with him before bursting into laughter.

At one point Ruth was even seen wiping tears from her eyes as she giggled alongside the 32-year-old, whose mother is Eamonn’s first wife Gabrielle Holmes.

To viewers, this may seem like nothing more than a sweet family day out in SW19.

But given the context of one of television’s most painful marital breakdowns, the photos carried more weight than that.

At one point, Ruth was even seen wiping tears from her eyes as she giggled next to the 32-year-old.

Because, as the Daily Mail’s Katie Hind revealed last year, Niall’s relationship with his father is said to have completely broken down in the context of Ruth and Eamonn’s increasingly acrimonious split.

As the former television couple prepare to face off in court later this year over their £12million fortune, Wednesday’s outing offered the clearest glimpse yet of where loyalties lie within the fractured clan.

Niall, who has previously brokered the couple’s endorsement deals and personal appearances, is understood to have had a ‘heated argument’ with Eamonn, 66.

A source said: ‘Niall and Eamonn had a huge falling out. After his separation from Ruth, there was a huge argument. Things that could not be said were said between them. This must have been heartbreaking for Eamonn.

‘Niall hit back at his father’s actions as Eamonn accused him of siding with Ruth. This all happened over a year ago and they haven’t spoken since. Niall adores Ruth.’

Indeed, those close to the family say Niall’s love for his stepmother runs deep and, having witnessed the breakdown of the marriage up close, Niall has made a conscious decision about where his loyalties lie.

‘Everything was very difficult at the beginning of the partition. “A lot has been said behind closed doors and there has been a call for Niall to know what really happened, things that are not public,” the source added.

A source said: ‘Niall and Eamonn had a huge falling out. There was a huge row following his split from Ruth (pictured, Eamonn on Great British Breakfast)

People close to the family say Niall’s love for his stepmother runs deep and he has made a conscious decision about where his loyalties lie.

‘Eamonn is of course upset and is now sharing the news of this dispute with his friends.

She is still close to her eldest son Declan and daughter Rebecca, with whom she has two younger daughters, Emilia and Isabella, but they have been caught in the crossfire between her and Niall. ‘This feud doesn’t look like it’s going to be resolved anytime soon.’

It is also understood Eamonn and Ruth’s shared son, Jack, 23, is also siding with his mother. Ruth set Jack up in a flat in Salford before announcing her split with Eamonn. A source said: ‘Relations between him and his father remain strained.’

‘It’s fair to say things between Eamonn and Ruth are at a pretty ugly stage at the moment,’ says another source.

Other friends of the couple, who have been together for 27 years and married for 14, say their ‘love turned into absolute hatred’ as they argued bitterly over their former marital home and how their money should be divided.

A source described relations to the Daily Mail as ‘a huge mess’ and neither side was ready to give up.

Other sources say the situation is unlikely to be resolved as long as Eamonn’s new girlfriend Katie Alexander is around. Some of Eamonn’s family are thought to have a pessimistic view of his romance with a marriage counselor who is 22 years his junior.

Eamonn and Katie, 43, reportedly first contacted each other 12 years ago after allegedly exchanging flirty messages.

‘It’s fair to say that relations between Eamonn and Ruth are at a pretty ugly stage at the moment,’ says a source (Photo taken in 2014)

Some of Eamonn’s family are thought to have taken a dim view of his romance with Katie Alexander, who is 22 years his junior.

And the year before they split, Ruth allegedly discovered Eamonn had been showering Katie with gifts.

But both Eamonn and Katie, who is married, insist all was not well until their marriage ended. The fact that they are still together is said to be ‘going down like a lead balloon’ with Eamonn’s family.

But Katie is said to be one of the only people who can make Eamonn smile lately. His health remains a concern and he is said to be still angry about being sacked from ITV, where he co-hosted This Morning with Ruth.

Both problems were said to have contributed to the breakdown of his marriage: his debilitating back condition made him difficult to live with, and a surgery in 2022 left him out of action for a time.

He is also said to have embarrassed Ruth, who criticized ITV bosses for sacking her while she was still working on the channel’s Loose Women.

Then came the separation announcement, which was issued as a ‘joint statement’ but angered Eamonn, who reportedly wanted nothing to do about it.

Ruth was praised for her dignity, but she also had moments of quiet revenge.

Although she refused to comment, sources confirmed she removed the stairlift installed at their former marital home at the £3.6 million mansion in Weybridge, Surrey, to help Eamonn move up.

Ruth had found herself shortchanged on her next visit to collect her belongings for her trip to Europe with Katie, but she knew she would have a hard time with the stairs.

Eamonn and Katie were later photographed in Barcelona, ​​where they boarded a cruise ship to tour the Mediterranean before stopping in Ibiza.

It is understood Ruth was recently granted a ‘joint tenancy termination’ right over their six-bedroom property, meaning Eamonn can no longer claim his share of the house the couple bought in 2014.

‘This is all a nightmare,’ one source said. ‘And these have an impact on family relationships, especially when it comes to Eamonn and their youngest son. They don’t like to see Ruth upset.’

The perception that Eamonn was harming Ruth also did him no favors with the public.

He was once a ‘guaranteed seller’ when magazines put him on the cover, but his stock has certainly fallen since then. A war of words quickly broke out between him, who was sacked by ITV in November 2021, and his former bosses. Eamonn accused bosses of being ‘shrewd’ about his departure and ‘hypocritical’ about ITV’s diversity drive.

In response, the network insisted its research showed he was unpopular with viewers, leading to him and Ruth being replaced by Alison Hammond, 51, and Dermot O’Leary, 53.

Eamonn later joined GB News in 2022, where he is understood to be earning a significantly higher salary than his fellow presenters on the breakfast show.

But all was not well. Last April, the presenter fell out of his chair during an interview and disappeared 40 minutes before the end of the show weeks ago.

In April this year, GB News reported that Holmes had been hospitalized after suffering a stroke.

While the Daily Mail has assured him he will return to the programme, it is unclear how long he will be able to work.

Indeed, friends say Eamonn “really needed the money” due to his long-running battle with HMRC and was forced to sell his house in Belfast last year.

‘It’s not easy being Eamonn Holmes right now,’ a friend said. ‘But he’s so happy to have Katie in his life.’

It’s a shame, then, that the romance seems to have come at a serious cost to Eamonn in many ways.

Because although they say blood is thicker than water, it was hard to escape the feeling that some loyalties ran even deeper on Center Court this week.