TV hosts Eamonn Holmes and Fiona Phillips sat side by side on the GMTV sofa for nine years, but behind the scenes the pair were said to have had a frosty relationship
Fiona Phillips shared the GMTV sofa with Eamonn Holmes for nine years. The seasoned presenters collaborated on the ITV morning programme from 1996 until 2005, when Eamonn departed, stating it was “right to move on”.
In a tribute to his co-host, he told Fiona, now 64, that he would ‘particularly miss their friendship’ upon his departure. Fiona responded: “This is our ninth year together. I will miss him more than words can say.”
However, behind the scenes, things weren’t as harmonious, with Fiona recently disclosing that Eamonn, 65, “wasn’t the easiest person to work with”.
As the mother of two reflects on her time working alongside the former This Morning host, here’s an insight into their tumultuous relationship, beginning with Fiona accusing the GB News host of dominating the conversation….
Fiona has since accused Eamonn Holmes of ‘taking over’ in interviews, reports the Mirror.
Upon leaving GMTV, Eammon stated: “What a privilege it has been to wake up the nation over the years with stories that affected all our lives. I’ve covered every type of story imaginable at GMTV and it’s the right time to move on.”
Fiona quipped that she had spent more time with the Northern Irish presenter than her husband, GMTV boss, Martin Frizell. However, she recently told the Mail that it “felt like a new opportunity” for her, having claimed she felt overshadowed as his co-host.
Alleging that Eamonn “wasn’t the easiest person to work with”, she revealed to the Mail: “For years, if there was a big interview to be done with a politician, Eamonn would lead the conversation and I was supposed to chip in with a few questions near the end – and I hated that.”
Fiona and Eamonn were a popular duo on the ITV show from 1996 to 2005, amassing a large fan base. However, Fiona claimed she was a “relative pauper” compared to her co-host, who she said earned “significantly more” than her.
In a previous column for the Daily Mirror, she stated that despite being known to millions as “the Queen of Breakfast Telly”, she was “a relative pauper in relation to my on-screen King, Eamonn Holmes.”
She further claimed that Eamonn enjoyed ‘perks’ she wasn’t considered worthy of, adding: “Monetarily I was well adrift of my on-screen partner who also had ‘perks’ that I clearly wasn’t deemed worthy of.”
It was also reported that Eamonn and his ex-wife, Ruth Langsford, had a significant argument after they were asked to present former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon with a Christmas bauble live on air ahead of the 2019 General Election.
Martin reportedly wanted Eamonn and Ruth to hand over the gift, and in return, Nicola would give them a traditional decoration.
However, Eamonn, a father of four, was reportedly not in favour of the arrangement and allegedly argued that presenting gifts would violate strict impartiality rules for broadcasters ahead of the major election.
An insider revealed to MailOnline: “Martin exploded, saying he was the editor and he decided what happened on the show.
“He then refused to go to Eamonn’s dressing room for the pre-show meeting with the presenters.
“The producer was having to run back and forth between the news room and the dressing room to convey Eamonn’s fury to Martin and Martin’s fury to Eamonn.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
