Eamonn Holmes admits being 'scared' his health will never fully recover as he gives update on his progress

GB News Presenter Eamonn Holmes has shared an update on his progress after a series of health issues over the last two years.

The 63-year-old found himself sitting next to Hollywood star Liam Neeson on a flight from Belfast to London several years ago when he asked how he kept fit for his action roles.

Eamonn says he has thought about his response “a lot recently” as he recalls: “He said, 'Motion is the lotion, Eamonn' —meaning you have to keep moving, because otherwise it's all over."

Over the last two years he has suffered three slipped discs which has affected the movement in his right leg and a spinal surgery last September which has left his left leg weakened too.

The bad luck continued for Eamonn when he fell backwards down 18 stairs at his home in Weybridge which he shares with wife Ruth Langsford, just two weeks after his operation.

The horrific accident left him with a broken shoulder, and his legs further weakened.

The presenter, who now walks with the aid of a stick said: "There's no connection between my waist and my legs, so I need a frame, crutches or a wheelchair to get around.”

Eamonn Holmes says he has 'hope' that he will walk again
GB News

Talking to the Daily Mail, he added: “The knee can give way at any time. I'm better than I was, and I am getting better all the time, but the scary thing is that, at the moment, I don't know if I'm going to get back to how I was.

“I would give anything just to be able to walk my dog or play a round of golf like I used to.”

Eamonn had already had a double hip replacement in 2015, aged 55 which he says he wished he had done years earlier.

He made a good recovery but by Spring 2021, just several months into joining GB News, he started experiencing severe back pain.

He said: “People kept asking what it was about, as if I'd had a skiing accident or something. The answer is I honestly don't know how it happened.”

A scan revealed three protruding discs. “I still thought it would go away, but it didn't. The knock-on effect was that I lost a lot of use in my right leg,” he said.

Things got worse for Eamonn in May when he flew to Belfast to host an event in honour of friend and broadcasting legend Gloria Hunniford and found himself in A&E after his spinal problems caused bladder and bowel issues.

He was admitted for emergency surgery but the operation was postponed when the surgeon decided it was too complex.

He said: “The spine and all the nerves that lead off it affect so many other things, which he felt needed to be addressed first. I was crushed.

“I had been in severe pain for a year, and I desperately hoped this might be the answer.”

After returning to the UK his left leg also wasn’t working well and he was thrown into live coverage of the death of the Queen in September.

He mentioned his troubles in passing on social media and was contacted by singer and former S Club 7 member Jo O'Meara, who has also suffered extensive back problems.

The singer informed Eamonn of a German surgeon who he contacted and went under the knife in late September.

Following the surgery his pain disappeared but his left leg would collapse unexpectedly.

Last October, Eamonn then suffered a horrific accident when his left leg collapsed, and he fell without warning.

Eamonn Holmes is on the road to recovery as he continues with regular physio
GB News

“Blood was pouring out my mouth, and a bone was sticking out my shoulder,” he says.

“Ruth came rushing down the stairs. She kept saying, 'You're fine, everything's okay, you're fine.' I said, 'Ruthie, there is a bone sticking out of my shoulder — I'm not fine.”

The couple waited two hours for an ambulance before Eamonn was taken to St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey.

He underwent surgery on his shoulder and remained there for seven days, before moving to a private rehabilitation centre for six weeks.

He said: “The most awful thing is the sense of helplessness.

“I can't get out of a chair without help; I can't just get myself a glass of water. I have to lean on people a lot. It's a big strain on everybody — particularly Ruthie.”

He is now undergoing regular physio and oxygen therapy to boost blood flow.

Eamonn said: “It's early days, but I think it's helping. I am visualising myself walking: 'Motion is the lotion' as Liam told me. That's my inspiration. Ultimately, you have to have hope.”