Sofa, so long: Holmes quits GMTV after 12 years

PRESENTER Eamonn Holmes is quitting GMTV after 12 years, it was announced yesterday.

The breakfast TV favourite from Belfast will bow out at the end of April. Holmes has hosted the show since 1993 and has partnered Fiona Phillips for the past nine years.

He said: “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.

“I’ll particularly miss my partnership with Fiona Phillips and I wish her and all the rest of the team the very best for the future.”

Phillips said: “I have spent more time with Eamonn than I have with my own husband. I will miss him more than words can say.”

Holmes, 45, also presents National Lottery Jet Set on Saturdays and a sports show on Radio Five Live.

“There is always a right time to move on and Eamonn has reached it. After 12 years of 4am starts he just needs a rest,” his spokeswoman said.

Holmes wants to spend more time with his four children. He lives in Surrey with his partner Ruth Langsford and their two-year-old son, Jack.

His three children from a previous marriage live in his native Belfast.

Ben Shephard and Andrew Castle will take over after standing in for him over the summer. Fiona Phillips’s contract runs until the end of 2006.

GMTV managing director Paul Corley said: “He has always brought great strength and personality to our schedule. We will miss him greatly and we wish him the very best for the future.”