Ruth Langsford's first Christmas after brutal Eamonn split and 'excitement for new man'

As Eamonn Holmes is believed to be spending the festive period with new girlfriend Katie Alexander, the Mirror takes a look at Ruth Langsford's first Christmas since the split, and her apprehensions about the big day

It's been a year of great change for Ruth Langsford, who is now marking her first Christmas as a single woman following her shock split from Eamonn Holmes.

Back in May of the year, the couple shocked fans after revealing they were parting ways after 14 years of marriage while confirming they were in the "process of divorcing". Once one of the most iconic couples on British daytime TV, the duo presented ITV's This Morning together for 15 years before being axed in November 2020.

Now Ruth, 64, is throwing herself into her work, carving out a name for herself outside of her personal and professional partnership with Eamonn. And her radiant divorce glow-up has attracted plenty of compliments.

However, as any newly separated spouse will undoubtedly know, special holidays such as Christmas can bring about fresh heartbreak - especially if your former partner has already moved on with someone else.

It's now been reported that Ruth is feeling apprehensive as she navigates her first Christmas without Eamonn, 64, who it's believed could well be spending some of the festivities with his new girlfriend, Katie Alexander, 42.

In an interview with OK! Magazine, a source shared that the Loose Women star is "dreading" Christmas, knowing just how different things will be this year. They divulged: "Ruth is dreading Christmas coming up because it will be her first one apart from Eamonn - who could be spending it with his new partner.

"This Christmas means creating different memories. Ruth and Eamonn are positively co-parenting Jack, but he's at the age where he might want to do something different at Christmas, and that’s worrying Ruth."

The insider also spoke of how the split could be affecting the former couple's 22-year-old son, Jack, who is said to be caught between his parents. They explained: "He's no doubt hurting too, seeing his mum and dad go through this. However, Ruth knows people will be looking up to her and feel inspired about how strong she appears on the outside. She knows the first Christmas will always be the hardest, and she just wants to get through it."

Meanwhile, Ruth's pre-Christmas trip to Australia, where she appeared on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! spin-off show Unpacked, is said to have been "incredibly therapeutic" for the mum-of-one as she continues to heal from her heartbreak, giving her a "new sense of purpose and confidence".

Relationship expert Jesper Jensen, from ExpertsEnAmour, told BelfastLive: "It won't fix everything overnight, but being busy and trying new things can be a great way to start moving forward emotionally and rebuilding after such a big change."

And it seems as though Ruth might already thinking about her romantic future, as a source said earlier this month: "Ruth's sass is definitely back. She's ready for exciting new adventures and a new man – if and when it's on her terms – but for now, she's not overly fussed about jumping into anyone's bed but her own.

"Girls' nights out and piña coladas are filling the void. Her friends are like her armour and they give great advice. Eamonn is just angry and jealous – he's brought this all on himself but Ruth is keeping dignified," they added to Closer.

Last December also proved to be an emotional time for Ruth, who opened up to her fellow Loose Women panellists that she felt as though "part of [her] heart had been ripped out" after son Jack left for university. In a teary video chat, held mere months before her bombshell split, Ruth revealed: "That first week of not having him at home literally felt like part of my heart ripped out. I kept his bedroom door shut."

However, this year could well be cheerier than Christmas 2019, which saw Ruth throw Eamonn's turkey all over him after being left seriously unimpressed by his gift-giving attempts. Claiming that was "too busy" to get his wife a present, Eamonn offered her cash instead - which didn't go down well at all.

Regaling the Loose Women panellists with the tale afterwards, a ticked-off Ruth exclaimed: "He bought me nothing, literally nothing! The dinner went down his chest!" Telling his side of the story, Eamonn recalled: "I said, 'I am so busy I will buy you anything you want, but the return receipt is about five days, so shall I give you money?' She said just come home, and as long as I've got Christmas with you, that is the important thing."

He continued: "She put it all on a plate and then fired it at my chest. It went all over and down me, and that was a pretty bad Christmas."

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