Television presenter Ruth Langsford has revealed that her former husband Eamonn Holmes had warned her that "our days are numbered" when she was presented with a difficult decision.

The Loose Women star, 65, wed her fellow broadcaster in 2010 before announcing their surprising split in 2024. The pair, who had been in a relationship since 1996, have a son Jack, now 24.

Whilst still married, they faced a challenging dilemma when offered the chance to stand in as This Morning hosts during the summer break in 2020.

Reflecting on how crucial it was for her to be there for her son Jack, Ruth explains in her new book Feeling Fabulous: "When Jack was still at primary school, ITV asked Eamonn and met present over the summer holiday. My instinct was to turn it down. I wanted to spend the holiday with Jack."

Despite recognising it would be a "dream gig," Ruth felt apprehensive about sacrificing precious moments with her son, who was in his teens at the time. She confessed that she occasionally feared young Jack "would think the nanny was his mum."

However, Eamonn offered some stark advice to Ruth, alerting her that declining the opportunity would likely mean they wouldn't receive another invitation, the Mirror reports.

He said: "As your husband and Jack's dad, I absolutely agree with you, but if I was your agent I would say you are completely crazy to turn this down. And the reality is, if we say no to this, our days on the programme are numbered."

As things transpired, they accepted the proposition and enjoyed an enormously successful stint that summer, before returning the next year to the delight of This Morning viewers.

Ruth concedes it wasn't a straightforward choice: "It took me a few days of stomping around and saying I didn't want to before I realised I didn't really have a choice.

"It sounds dramatic to say that my job hung in the balance, but I know how telly works, and I needed to consider my career. I had never really thought about the long term, but I could see that I needed to."

Ruth reveals that whilst the programme only broadcast for a couple of hours daily, she and Eamonn would be working a complete day: "Although This Morning was only on air from 10am to 12.30pm, we would have to be in by 7am for production meetings, make-up and to rehearse the occasional item."

She continued: "After the show there was a post-production debrief followed by a meeting about the following day's programme, and then we were away by 2pm, at the latest."

Ruth made a poignant return to This Morning earlier this week for the first time since her divorce from Eamonn. However, on this occasion she appeared on the sofa as a guest, speaking with Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard about her new book.

She told Ben: "Here I am in the studio where Eamonn and I worked together for many, many, years. And very happy."

Reflecting on her bitter separation from her husband, Ruth stated: "Not everything lasts forever, you know, the hardest thing is having it played out in the public domain, and that just goes with the territory.

"That just goes with the job. I accept that," she continued. "I don't discuss our divorce, our relationship breakup, what I do discuss is picking yourself up, dusting yourself off and starting all over again, as the song says."