Eamonn Holmes proudly shared a snap of himself standing unaided amid his recent health woes to Instagram on Sunday.
The presenter, 64, who revealed last week that he needed carers to help with ‘simple things’, uses a wheelchair due to chronic back pain as well as undergoing painful physio sessions.
Speaking in January he said the ‘harsh reality’ could be that he may never be able to walk unaided again.
But Eamonn has now shared a photo of himself dressed smartly and stood of his own volition leaning against a door frame as his rehabilitation continues.
He captioned the post: ‘Hard to stand up but next my aim is to walk . Off to a birthday party today . What about you?’.
Eamonn Holmes , 64, proudly shared a snap of himself standing unaided amid his recent health woes to Instagram on Sunday
The presenter, who revealed last week that he needed carers to help with ‘simple things’ , uses a wheelchair due to chronic back pain as well as undergoing painful physio sessions (pictured in June)
Eamonn spoke about needing carers to help him while hosting GB News alongside Ellie Costello, who replaced usual presenter Isabel Webster last week.
The presenting pair were joined by two guests, Polly and Michelle, to discuss Thursday’s General Election.
Michelle, who is a care support worker, said she would like to bring Keir Starmer, Rishi Sunak and Nigel Farage with her on a day to work so they can see what she does as part of her job.
‘I’m not finishing at 6pm on a Friday afternoon. I’m working 60 hours a week for £12.50 an hour,’ she said.
Eamonn replied: ‘I just want to say – what you do, I have been basically disabled for a year and a half or so and I have to have a career to do the smallest simplest things and it’s humiliating and humbling – but thank goodness that carers are available.’
In 2016, Eamonn underwent a double-hip replacement operation lasting three-and-a-quarter hours after living with acute pain for many years.
Speaking about his operation at the time, Eamonn said: ‘ Was I nervous? No! It was just like being on television. In the build-up I was stressed — can I do this? Will I handle it?’
Two years later, Eamonn detailed his battle with shingles and how he was struck with the virus on his son Declan’s wedding day.
Eamonn spoke about needing carers to help him while hosting GB News alongside Ellie Costello, who replaced usual presenter Isabel Webster last week
The presenter previously said he is ‘on borrowed time’ as he battled his ongoing health issues
He underwent spinal surgery in 2022 following years of chronic back pain and previously had
a double-hip replacement in 2016
During an appearance on Loose Women in September 2021, he spoke about his health battle which left him unable to work on This Morning three years ago.
He also shared images of his puffy face covered in marks and scabs during his battle.
Shingles is a viral rash caused by varicella zoster virus, the virus which causes chickenpox, being reactivated. In the UK, 90 per cent of adults have had chickenpox, so will have this virus lying dormant in their nervous systems.
His years of chronic back pain started in spring 2021 – which came completely out of nowhere.
The pain become so severe that it left Eamonn reliant on a walking stick, but soon found out the root cause.
He eventually discovered it was three slipped discs that affected the movement of his right leg.
In September 2022, Eamonn was forced to step away from his GB news show as he underwent vital back surgery to aid his chronic back pain.
His battle with chronic back pain started after a dislocated pelvis led to three slipped discs.
Following his surgery, he revealed that despite physiotherapy, he continues to find his lack of mobility stops him from doing simple things and is forced to rely on others, which he described as ‘soul destroying’.
His spinal surgery left him with a weakened left leg, too, and just over two weeks into his recovery from the operation, Eamonn fell backwards down 18 stairs at the Weybridge home, hitting the stone floor at the bottom.
The horrific accident could easily have killed him. Instead, he emerged with a broken shoulder, and his legs further weakened.
He eventually discovered it was three slipped discs that affected the movement of his right leg
A year after his spinal surgery, Eamonn underwent a spine and neck stretching procedure in September 2023 after admitting he ‘couldn’t walk’
He has ongoing daily physio sessions and either uses a cane or wheelchair to get about, with the support of his wife Ruth
The former This Morning host admitted at the time that fracturing his shoulder in a fall is a ‘massive setback’.
A year after his spinal surgery, Eamonn underwent a spine and neck stretching procedure in September 2023 after admitting he ‘couldn’t walk’.
Eamonn admitted he ‘hadn’t recovered’ from his back surgery, confessing: ‘I can’t run, I can’t walk, I can’t do anything except watch TV and eat.’
He explained: ‘I just got problems last year in my back, which I haven’t recovered from. It’s not good, it’s not a good recipe I have to say.’
Now, Eamonn is focusing on his recovery following years of different health woes and operations.
Head of their split estranged wife Ruth Langsford revealed she feared Eamonn ‘might never be 100 per cent right’.
He is having daily physio sessions and either uses a cane or wheelchair to get about, with the support of his wife Ruth.
The Loose Women presenter said she ‘lives in hope’ that his mobility will improve.
Speaking to Woman’s Weekly, Ruth said: ‘I don’t know how much Eamonn’s mobility will improve. We live in hope.
‘He does the physio, but there might have to be some acceptance that this might never be 100% right. With any care situation – and there are millions of carers in this country – it isn’t always easy. It’s testing but we manage as a family.’
Ruth added: ‘I look at Eamonn, who’s had his health and back problems, and it makes you realise how important your health is.’
