GB News presenter Eamonn Holmes has revealed his challenges with mobility, now depending on a wheelchair to move about.
On the Breakfast show, Eamonn shared his personal struggle during a discussion about the Christmas travel warning, which advises drivers to avoid the M25 for six hours this weekend.
With trains suggested as an alternative for festive travellers, Eamonn expressed his difficulties: “The train definitely could be a dream, but I’m now sort of wheelchair-laden. You rely on a lot of people to get you on and off. It’s very, very difficult doing that,” he revealed.
Attempting to downplay the admission, he added, “I just threw that in…it’s not a concern to anybody, but there we go,” reflecting his disheartenment.
But his colleague, Isabel Webster, offered a word of compassion, recognising the broader impact: “Well, it’s a consideration lots of people in the same position as you, Eamonn,” she said.
Eamonn has confronted severe mobility problems following back surgery and now uses a wheelchair primarily, although he can use a walker over short spans, reports the Express.
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(Image: GB News))
Earlier in January, he opened up about lingering in an “epidemic of pain,” which necessitates reliance on a walking stick and wheelchair.
The seasoned morning show host faced the stark possibility that he may never walk unassisted again, yet remains hopeful for an improvement.
His mobility issues regretfully resulted in missing the funeral of his dear mother, Josie, in November 2023. At that sorrowful moment, he shared his feelings: “It’s as if somebody up there is playing with my life.
“In the past year, I’ve had an operation on my back which went wrong and has confined me to a wheelchair. I’ve fallen and broken my shoulder. Honestl,y you could not make it up.”
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(Image: GB News))
Despite the back surgery providing some relief from his pain, he was then hit with the devastating news that he might never walk again. Chatting with Gerry Kelly for the Irish Independent, he shared: “I have tried every treatment, but you go, ‘Maybe I’ll never get out of it,’ which is a harsh reality to face.”
This isn’t the first instance where Isabel has demonstrated her compassion towards his plight. During a joint interview with Hello! Magazine, Eamonn recounted the “physically challenging” period when he and Isabel were reporting from outside Buckingham Palace following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
“There was scaffolding everywhere, and if I needed the toilet, it took me ages to get around it. It was humiliating and really wearing me down.”
“But on the long route back to the car, Isabel took my weight and steered me,” he remembered.
Isabel added her perspective, noting she “went into nurse mode” and did everything in her power to assist Eamonn.