They were once the most popular husband and wife presenting duo since the original hosts of ITV’s This Morning, Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan.

But it appears that mixing work and marriage may have been the reason behind Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford’s separation, which they announced over the weekend.

The news came as a shock to fans, who believed the pair had one of the strongest marriages in showbusiness. But now it appears the writing was on the wall far earlier than anyone imagined.

The pair, who met back in 1997 while both working in television, shared a sofa on This Morning for 15 years, hosting the Friday show, before being axed in 2021.

It appears that mixing work and marriage may have been the reason behind Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford’s separation, which they announced over the weekend

But in an interview newly unearthed by the Mail, Holmes, speaking at an event last November, revealed that Langsford ‘couldn’t separate’ her private and professional lives. He also warned against marrying a colleague — a particularly pointed remark considering their long working relationship.

At the launch of networking company Global Man at The Savoy hotel in London six months ago, Holmes said: ‘Here is Ruth’s problem: she cannot separate professional life from private life. Ruth is the boss of both. 

‘She’s marvellous you know, I love her, I live with her. She’s amazing — but …

‘Find your partner at work! Have a romance. Do all the dirty things you are doing but stay apart.’

During the interview, Holmes, 64, also accused ITV, his former employer, of spreading rumours of his marriage being in trouble.

He was furious when the channel axed him three years ago after a series of on-air gaffes, and lambasted it publicly, saying that the diversity drive is ‘hypocritical’, and claiming those who run the show are ‘middle-aged white managers’.

The pair, who met back in 1997 while both working in television, shared a sofa on This Morning for 15 years, hosting the Friday show, before being axed in 2021

Friends say the couple’s relationship has been tested by Holmes’ ongoing chronic back pain, following slipped discs and a fall at home in 2022

Now a presenter for GB news, Holmes is expected to address the split live on his breakfast show today.

The Mail revealed on Saturday that Holmes and Langsford, also 64, had split after 27 years, 14 of them as a married couple.

Their relationship began in 1997, three years after the end of Holmes’ marriage to first wife Gabrielle, with whom he has three children, Declan, 35, Rebecca, 33, and Niall, 31.

In June 2010, Langsford and Holmes were married in a lavish ceremony at 19th century hotel The Elvetham in Hampshire, in front of guests including Gloria Hunniford, Jeremy Kyle and Amanda Lamb.

On Saturday, they confirmed they’re in the process of divorcing but are trying to remain amicable. However, the pair were ‘at odds’ over putting a statement out to announce their separation, which they have repeatedly denied for more than six months.

Ms Langsford broke her social media silence with a picture of the couple’s beloved dog, Maggie

Yesterday, a friend of Holmes said: ‘This could all get very, very tricky. You’re dealing with Eamonn, who didn’t really want to end things, and Ruth, who did. At the very heart of that is a disagreement.

‘How they manage to split their millions remains to be seen, but when it comes to money things are never easy. They’ve been together for a long time, but Eamonn was undeniably more famous when they got together.’

The statement issued by the couple on Saturday revealed that they are to divorce after work commitments ‘took their marriage in different directions’.

Holmes and Langsford, who have a 22-year-old son, Jack, have been living together until recently at their £3.2 million home in Weybridge, Surrey. They say they’re ‘determined to stay friends and keep things amicable’.

However, it is understood that Eamonn is devastated about the split and that it has ‘very much been orchestrated by Ruth’.

He reportedly told friends he ‘didn’t want to get involved’ and that ‘Ruth can do what she wants but keep me out of it’.

EXCLUSIVEREAD MORE: KATIE HIND: Strains that ended Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford's marriage

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It is understood that he was against making the news public, after spending months trying to save his marriage.

His wife, though, was determined to walk away.

Friends say the couple’s relationship has been tested by Holmes’ ongoing chronic back pain, following slipped discs and a fall at home in 2022.

In January, the presenter revealed how he had been forced to sell his beloved house in east Belfast to pay off a huge bill, after a £250,000 tax fight with HM Revenue and Customs.

Both Eamonn and Ruth had denied that there were any problems with their relationship when asked in recent months, although friends say that the marriage has been over for at least a year.

Neither has posted pictures of one another on their social media accounts for the past 12 months. Previously the pair would also mark their anniversary by sending each other a public message on Instagram.

Yesterday, Ms Langsford broke her social media silence with a picture of the couple’s beloved dog, Maggie.

She is also taking the week off from Loose Women, the ITV panel show which she anchors alongside the likes of Linda Robson, Christine Lampard and Stacey Solomon.

Additional reporting: Alexis Parr