EAMONN Holmes said “they’ve taken everything” amid a bitter tax row – and felt “like a lamb to slaughter” after stress may have sparked a painful health battle.
The TV presenter, 64, was “forced” to give up a house in his home town Belfast, as part of a five year dispute with HM Revenue and Customs.
The HMRC first launched their investigations in 2018, and a tribunal two years later ruled Eamonn was employed at ITV while hosting This Morning – not working as a freelancer.
In response, the GB New presenter launched two appeals against the tax man, which cost him “hundreds of thousands of pounds” to settle legal fees.
Eamonn lost both appeals and was ultimately ordered to pay and eye-watering £250,000 for 10-years worth of backdated national insurance and tax payments.
The much-loved presenter previously argued he had never been handed sick pay, holiday pay or shares in companies while working at ITV.
An HMRC spokesperson said: “We take the wellbeing of all taxpayers seriously and do everything we can for those who engage with us to get their tax affairs in order, including by offering affordable payment plans.”
It’s something I’m very bitter about because people think you earn lots of money and therefore you have to pay. It’s like they have taken away everything I ever worked for.”
Eamonn Holmes
To foot the massive bill, Eamonn revealed he was “forced” to sell a property in the Belmont area of Belfast.
He told his former UTV co-star Gerry Kelly: “I had a house here until six weeks ago when I was forced to sell it by the Inland Revenue (HMRC).
“It’s something I’m very bitter about because people think you earn lots of money and therefore you have to pay.
“It’s like they have taken away everything I ever worked for.
“People think it’s only the Eamonn Holmeses of this world that they’re after.
“But it’s not. The country is broken.”
Last year, Eamonn opened up about the draining tax battle and claimed it was “the most stressful experience outside of losing my father”.
The presenter thought skyrocketing anxiety sparked a case of shingles in 2018, which could have left him blind.
He said previously: “I was like a lamb to the slaughter – it was the most stressful, humiliating experience.
“It was b****y scary to see [the illness]. It looked as if someone had taken a baseball bat to my face and smashed me about a bit.”
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The blow comes after Eamonn shared dreams of moving back to Belfast early last year – possibly to the beloved home he has now given up.
However, wife Ruth Langsford was not as keen, according to her husband, who spoke to Loose Women’s Kaye Adams on her How To Be 60 podcast.
She asked: “Could you see yourself moving to Belfast?”
To which Eammon replied: “Oh gosh yes, but Ruth wouldn’t want that, she won’t go, she wouldn’t go.”
The couple currently reside in their incredible Surrey mansion and frequently give fans a glimpse into the lavish home.
In addition to dealing with the HMRC over an exhausting five year legal battle, Eamonn has been struggling with chronic back pain.
Just as a tribunal ruled the presenter would have to pay back £250,000 in 2020 – his health was worsening.
His condition was so severe in 2021, fans were shocked to learn he was rushed to hospital.
He later revealed he was suffering from “pain he’s never felt in his life”.
Sharing a photo of himself at the time, the much-loved presenter shared: “Starting the day by tackling the pain from the night before. On the Physio table. Chronic pain. Just can’t get it to go away.
“Sadly so many of you know the feeling. Thanks for sharing your stories. I’m determined to beat this however much it hurts.”
The star, who underwent a double hip operation in 2016, previously revealed that he was having trouble sleeping due to the pain.
I can’t remember what life was like without the pain.”
Eamonn
Eamonn was then diagnosed with a dislocated pelvis and three slipped discs.
He shared his recovery story on social media and compared his journey to re-learning to walk as he admitted he was undergoing extensive therapy.
The presenter went through a period of depending on crutches to walk, and lost nerves in his right leg due to the injury.
At the time he said: “Nobody knows what it’s like unless they live with someone who has it.
“I’m in huge pain and nobody knows how to stop it.
“This hurts like hell and I need to find a way to overcome it. It has lasted a month and it feels like I can’t remember what life was like without the pain.”
In 2022 Eamonn was forced to take a step back from presenting duties to undergo necessary surgery.
Eamonn shared: “This week a surgeon will cut into my back to hopefully relieve pressure on my sciatic nerves.
“It’s an operation that carries a 20 per cent risk of going wrong, but such is the pain and restrictions that I have been suffering for the past 18 months, I’ve decided it is a risk I am willing to take.
“In fact, it’s a risk I want to take because, at this moment in time, nothing could seem worse than the constant pain that runs through my lower back and legs.”
Over the past few years, public appearances of Eamonn being pushed in wheelchairs and using walking sticks have raised concern among fans.
In September 2023, a snap of the grandad eating ice cream in a mobility scooter sparked fears he could no longer walk.
He revealed just weeks before the photo was taken he had undergone an operation on his back and unfortunately fell down the stairs two weeks into his recovery.
Speaking to his guest Tim Franklin, the former Sky News Sunrise host remarked: “I can’t run, I can’t walk, I can’t do anything except watch TV and eat.
“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.
Turning to the panellist, he hinted that he struggles to build the energy to heal as he remarked: “You are a good motivation for all of us.
“What would you say to people out there who just have not got that motivation?”
Former This Morning host Eamonn Holmes has shared his struggles across the past few years.
