Ruth Langsford's fears 'dying inside' this Christmas over huge family change

Ruth Langsford has disclosed that a significant family shift could leave her "dying inside" during the holiday season.

The television host is facing her first Christmas without her former partner, Eamonn Holmes, following their split earlier in 2024 after a 14-year marriage.

Since their separation, Eamonn has moved on with his new girlfriend Katie Alexander, while Ruth has sought support from friends, including Rylan Clark.

A source informed OK! in October that Ruth is apprehensive about the upcoming festive period, acknowledging that the first one will be the most challenging and she just wants to get through it.

However, it's not only her breakup that might be troubling Ruth. She previously shared with Woman and Home Magazine another family change involving her 22-year-old son Jack.

Ruth stated: "I see Christmas changing every year. Although Jack’s not yet been at his girlfriend’s for Christmas, I’m sure the time will come. Then I’ll have to take a big gulp and go, ‘That’s lovely, darling. Of course, it’s absolutely no problem.’ But, of course, I’ll be dying inside."

The source suggested that this could still be a concern as people celebrate this year, noting that Jack is at an age where he may want to do something different, which is causing her anxiety.

In 2023, she also mentioned that while Christmas was once centred around their children, it is now "about Mum" and she doesn't know "how many more Christmases she might have".

Ruth's mother, Joan, is 93 years old and has been living in a care home since her Alzheimer's diagnosis, a condition that also affected her father, Dennis. He tragically passed away in 2012 at the age of 84 due to complications from the disease.

Jack is Ruth's only child, while Eamonn has three other children from his previous marriage to Gabrielle Holmes: Declan, Rebecca, and Niall.

In May, it was revealed that Ruth was devastated when her son left home for university. She confessed on Rosie Nixon's In a Good Place podcast that the first week was especially tough.

In an emotional revelation, she expressed that not having her son at home felt like "part of my heart had been ripped out". She recalled entering his bedroom and breaking down in tears upon returning home.

She previously told Hello! magazine that her son is a creative individual and she is confident that he will "do well at whatever he chooses to do". However, Eamonn has hinted that he could be a "good journalist".

Ruth shared with the magazine: "I think he was reticent about wanting to do journalism because people will end up thinking 'Oh, nepotism' and 'Nepo babies' blah blah. But actually, he's a very creative person."