Ruth Langsford has allegedly been ‘torn’ by the idea of a return to This Morning because she does not want to ‘upset’ her husband Eamonn Holmes, according to reports.
Ruth, 63, used to host This Morning with Eamonn on Fridays before being replaced by Dermot O’Leary and Alison Hammond in 2020.
After Phillip Schofield stood down from This Morning and ITV, it’s now being reported that she’s been offered a chance to return.
Schofield left the show after more than 20 years and left all of his ITV projects after admitting to a ‘unwise but not unlawful’ romance with a considerably younger staffer.
Since then, Eamonn has gone on rants against Schofield and Holly, calling him a “fraud” and accusing her of having a “big mouth.”
He has previously called the This Morning hosts ‘drunk,’ and said Holly was ‘using’ Alison.
Ruth has apparently been left ‘very torn’ after being approached by This Morning bosses about a possible return to the show, but she doesn’t want to ‘upset’ her husband.
A source continued to Bella magazine, according to the Daily Express: ‘The idea is that the show is desperate to reassure viewers that it’s a family operation and the more familiar faces there are the better.
‘Whenever they’ve done market research, Ruth has always come up as a firm favourite.’
The insider went on to allege: ‘While obviously, Eamonn has burnt his bridges with ITV, Ruth still works for them and wants to continue.
‘She’s proud of her work at Loose Women but at the same time, doesn’t want to be used as damage control.
‘She is also loyal to her husband, of course, and wouldn’t want to upset Eamonn over it.
‘But she’s also not saying no – she is just surprised to be courted by them after everything that has happened.’
This comes after Holly was rumoured to be taking over as host of This Morning alongside a rotating cast of co-presenters if ITV chose not to replace Schofield.
According to reports, the Wylde Moon creator, 42, will be the sole regular fixture on the long-running programme, and will be joined’mostly’ by Josie Gibson, 38, and Craig Doyle, 52.
Alison, 48, and Dermot, 50, who present the show on Fridays, are said to be joining the Dancing on Ice host ‘sporadically.’
An ITV insider described Holly as This Morning’s “Queen Bee,” saying, “The thought of finding the next Phil to sit next to Holly has been ignored by This Morning’s management.”
‘It will be Holly along with whichever rotating presenter is selected to join her. It will essentially be Holly’s show.
‘Bosses hope that they can put all of the Schofield scandal behind them and start concentrating on the content of the show rather than the twosome presenting it. At least this way there won’t be any falling out.
They continued to the Daily Mail: ‘Holly is so excited about the plan, she loves Josie, Craig, Alison and Dermot.
‘It’s a happy ship and she made the decision not to quit but instead to return and keep things going while being at the helm.
‘Holly is absolutely determined to head up the challenge to make the show a success again.’
It follows claims that Holly was ready to renew her contract with This Morning for a larger wage than the £700,000 per year she is supposed to be paid by ITV when she returns from her summer holiday.
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1.
