Eamonn Holmes broke down while explaining why Rylan Clark-Neal has stepped in for his wife Ruth Langsford on today’s (21.06.19) ‘This Morning’, following the death of her sister.
The 59-year-old TV presenter informed viewers why Ruth wasn’t on today’s episode after her older sibling Julia passed away, and he began reading out a heartfelt tribute tweet she wrote yesterday (20.06.19).
He said: "Let me just explain why it is Rylan and myself today. You may already be aware of the terrible bereavement Ruth has had yesterday on her social media.
"She made this post to inform everyone and she said, ‘My lovely sis Julia has died after a long illness.
"’My heart is completely broken. She was the kindest and most gentle soul …’ "
As Eamonn struggled to hold back the tears, Rylan then took over reading out Ruth’s tribute, saying: "’And I’ll miss her forever as I am sure you will appreciate I need to take him to grieve. Thank you for your understanding.’ "
Eamonn admitted he was grateful to Rylan for stepping in for Ruth, and revealed the former ‘Big Brother’s Bit on the Side’ host was the first person he called when he heard Julia had passed away.
He said: "No one understands more than our friend and our colleague Rylan, who has been a great comfort to Ruth and a great help by stepping in today for her."
Rylan admitted he "couldn’t not be here" standing in for the ‘Loose Women’ anchor.
He said: "We know Ruth is watching and we are sending you all our love, and we love you dearly. And Ruth is going to need time to deal with this.
"And so are you, for that matter. But I couldn’t not be here."
Eamonn replied: "Thank you. Rylan was the first person I phoned when we heard this news, and you are a great support to Ruth on all of this."
He also revealed show bosses had chosen "bereavement" as the topic of today’s ‘This Morning’ phone-in following Ruth’s tragic news.
Eamonn explained: "Because of what Ruth has gone through, we thought it might be an appropriate time to talk about a loved one."
Ruth – who co-hosts ‘This Morning’ with Eamonn every Friday – revealed yesterday her sister had sadly died.
She wrote on Twitter: "My lovely Sis Julia has sadly died after a very long illness. My heart is completely broken.
"She was the kindest and most gentle soul and I will miss her forever.
"As I am sure you will appreciate I need to take time to grieve with my family. Thank you for your understanding."
The two sisters were close, and Ruth previously revealed in an interview that her fantasy 24 hours would involve spending time with Julia.
Referring to her own son, she said: "I’d take Jack, my sister Julia and my niece Katie to a matinee in the West End, followed by a cream tea with the family."
Eamonn Holmes breaks down in tribute to Ruth Langsford’s sister
