Eamonn Holmes, who celebrates his 66th birthday today, has suffered from a raft of agonising health issues over the years, everything from chronic back pain to a recent eye surgery
10:13, 03 Dec 2025
Eamonn Holmes has suffered from a raft of agonising health issues over the years, which have included debilitating back pain and a recent eye surgery. The broadcaster, who has also found himself in the news due to his split from ex-wife Ruth Langsford last year, celebrates his 66th birthday today (Wednesday, December 3),
In a heartbreaking remark back in 2024, the Belfast native claimed that he was on "borrowed time", as his father had sadly passed away at the age of 65 from a heart attack. It came at a time when he made an appearance at the TRIC Awards.
It marked his first solo appearance since he and Ruth parted ways in June that year after 14 years of marriage, but Eamonn confessed that he considered not attending due to the pain that he was experiencing.
Eamonn, who used a wheelchair laden with "gadgets" at the event and noted that he was "not OK" and that it was "not a good time at all", also shared details about an operation and how he had "two things in my back I don't want".
He told The Mirror: "I wasn’t going to come, but I've got this new chair with all these gadgets. I had an operation a year and a half ago, and two things went wrong so I have two things in my back I don’t want. So I’ll happily accept this."
Here is a round-up of Eamonn's various health issues, from a double hip replacement to eye surgery.
Double hip replacement
In 2016, reports emerged that Eamonn had undergone a double-hip replacement, having "lived with acute pain for so long", being left "limping and dragging" his leg, and being unable to stand for long periods or walk long distances.
Eamonn spent the previous five years unable to watch his son, Jack (whom he shares with Ruth), play golf, according to the Mail. In fact, he was also unable to stand on the touchline alongside other fathers at football matches.
He told the publication: "They're all standing and I'm sitting there like an old man in the sturdy folding picnic chair."
Shingles
Eamonn previously opened up to Loose Women about his ordeal with shingles in 2018 and how he had to navigate his son Declan's wedding whilst ill with the painful viral rash (which is caused by the varicella zoster virus).
His bout of shingles was reportedly so severe that he wasn't able to work on This Morning, with images of his face, complete with swelling, scabs and red marks, displayed on screen.
He joked: "This is me with shingles looking like Quasimodo there and as you can see from that, it's quite brutal." Shingles is a serious infection that can cause a painful rash.
Chronic back pain
In 2021, the presenter opened up about the difficulties that he was facing due to back pain, a complaint he said at the time arose from a "trapped sciatic nerve", but admitted that he didn't know "quite how it initially happened".
He revealed that his condition was impacting his home life, as he worried that his children were sometimes left "embarrassed" as he tried to move around using crutches and a walking stick, admitting to the Sun: "I don't walk — it’s more of a wobble. It has been very difficult this year."
Eamonn added that he hadn't been able to walk for a number of months, and his condition had "taken its toll" on others, too, including Ruth, who ultimately had to wait on him.
Back operation
Fast forward a year and Eamonn had to take a break from his duties at GB News to undergo back surgery, having previously disclosed his struggles after a dislocated pelvis resulted in three slipped discs.
In a heartfelt admission to the Express, Eamonn detailed how the procedure would "hopefully relieve pressure" on his sciatic nerves, but it was not without its risks.
He said: "It’s an operation that carries a 20 percent risk of going wrong, but such is the pain and restrictions that I have been suffering for the past 18 months, I’ve decided it is a risk I am willing to take.
"In fact, it’s a risk I want to take because, at this moment in time, nothing could seem worse than the constant pain that runs through my lower back and legs."
Fractured shoulder
However, the same year, he suffered yet another setback when he fractured his shoulder in a fall at his then-home in Surrey, but he was "trying to look on the bright side".
He told GB News: "It's been a hellish few weeks. But day by day I'm improving and I am remaining positive and trying to look on the bright side."
Eamonn explained that he would need "extra time off" so he could recover before going on to praise the NHS staff who'd been taking care of him, describing them as "amazing".
He added: "Also, I really must say a heartfelt thank you to the doctors and nursing staff who have been looking after me. They all are amazing. God bless."
Eye surgery
Finally, just two months ago in October, reports surfaced that Eamonn had required surgery for an eye injury. He shared the news on his Instagram page, posting photos of his bandaged eye.
He didn't reveal the cause of the injury at the time, but did explain that one patch was "put on in hospital", and that he'd applied a second, joking you "should see the other guy".