Eamonn Holmes is reportedly weighing up a dramatic move back to Northern Ireland after admitting that his long-running battle with HMRC has “wrecked” him financially and emotionally.
The GB News presenter, 65, who has already been forced to sell two properties, says he still owes around £250,000 in back taxes. On top of the financial strain, insiders claim he’s been juggling a painful facial injury and “turmoil” in his new relationship with girlfriend Katie Alexander.
Those close to the broadcaster say the pressure has pushed him to breaking point. One friend revealed that Eamonn is “clearly struggling” and “often in a foul mood” as the dispute drags on, adding that people around him have urged him to return home to Northern Ireland where he “could have a much nicer life” — but they believe he’s “clinging on to the fame in England”.
Eamonn, who rose to fame hosting shows for Ulster Television in the early years of his career, recently opened up during a visit back home. Speaking candidly, he said the tax demands had devastated him. “They still want another quarter of a million pounds off me… I’ve paid them more than a million already, but they won’t stop. It’s still going on and they want another £250,000. They’ve ruined me,” he said.
He also recalled how HMRC changed their position about his employment status during his 11-year stint hosting Sky’s Sunrise. “They came after me and said: ‘We always said you were self-employed? Well, we’ve thought about it — you’re not. So we want ten years of back taxes and national insurance.’ So they basically, at the most vulnerable time of my life, wrecked me financially.”
Friends say the situation has now become “very sad”, with tensions reportedly spilling over behind the scenes at GB News. One insider told the Daily Mail: “When the cameras roll, he still switches it on — but away from that, it’s messy. People’s patience is wearing thin.”
Eamonn’s long career has seen him front programmes for GB News, ITV, the BBC and Sky, becoming a household name and for years forming a daytime-TV power duo with ex-wife Ruth Langsford. The pair split last year shortly after stepping down from their roles on This Morning.
