Eamonn Holmes lost 'This Morning' job over boss 'hating' how he handled food

Sources close to have spilled the beans on Eamonn Holmes' departure from This Morning. They suggested a ratings slump and ITV boss Martin Frizell's distaste for how Eamonn would eat food on-air as the main reason he got shown the door.

Reports even shockingly quoted Phillip referring to Martin as one of the "three s**ts," alongside ITV's Emma Gormley and his former buddy .

The veteran presenting pair Eamonn Holmes and his wife both 64, were the faces of the Friday edition for an impressive 14 years, before being ousted in a dramatic reshuffle at the end of 2020. An insider revealed: "Eamonn and Ruth leaving was all down to ratings and because Martin joked that he couldn't bear to watch him eat on TV."

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The source continued, explaining how Martin's aversion to Eamonn's eating during the cooking segments became a running gag behind the scenes: "Chefs do cooking segments on and Martin's dislike of the sight of Eamonn chomping on whatever had been cooked up became a joke that he shared among people working on the show."

While Ruth was reportedly adored by the crew, Eamonn apparently didn't share the same level of popularity. Despite previous claims that Eamonn's stints on the show attracted strong viewership figures, especially compared to other Friday hosts, he eventually left and moved to GB News after being replaced by and Dermot O'Leary, reports .

In an eye-opening interview from January 2022, Eamonn laid bare his bitter feelings by saying: "They're sly. They didn't want to announce that I'd been dropped because it would adversely affect audience figures, so they made it look as if I'd walked away from them rather than the other way round."

In response, pals close to the situation have challenged Holmes' account, asserting: "Contrary to Eamonn's narrative, Phillip had no problem with his former co-host until Eamonn started to write disparaging articles about him."

Eamonn's brewing bad blood towards his one-time mate and his own sour exit from ITV seemed to cast a shadow over his relationship with his then-wife Ruth Langsford. Insiders suggest that the tension got so severe it caused an awkward atmosphere for Ruth, who continues her gig on .

A confidant of Eamonn, now romantically involved with 42 year old Katie Alexander, revealed that the presenter doesn't bemoan his outspoken remarks, regardless of the strain it put on his marital life. Speaking to the Daily Mail, the insider divulged: "Eamonn's dislike for Phillip has existed for a long time, but it became very public at the end of his marriage to Ruth. And as his hatred for him and ITV grew, the cracks in their relationship grew deeper."

A source revealed that Ruth Langsford was less than thrilled with Eamonn Holmes' repeated jabs at ITV following their departure from 'This Morning'. "Ruth became a bit dismayed at Eamonn for making repeated digs at ITV after they were axed from This Morning. Ruth wasn't over the moon about it, but given she was still a cemented member of the Loose Women family, it made things somewhat awkward for her to have Eamonn criticising ITV," they claimed.

The insider then went on to allege that Eamonn harbours strong negative feelings towards Phillip Schofield and stands by his actions. "He doesn't regret any of his behaviour. He believes he [Phil] is addicted to fame and he can't believe he's attempted to relaunch himself with his documentary last week."