Eamonn Holmes revealed in a Twitter post on Tuesday that he’s caught Covid-19.
The TV presenter, 61, said he’s ‘halfway through his isolation’ and is ‘coping with the symptoms and effects well’ after having previously received two doses of a vaccine.
This Morning host Eamonn also offered his apologies for being a ‘no show’ at work and personal events as he recovers at home, following his absence from the the ITV magazine show last week despite typically filling in over the half-term period.
‘Thankfully I’m double jabbed’: Eamonn Holmes, 61, revealed on Tuesday that he has contracted Covid-19 and is ‘coping well with the symptoms and effects’ after getting fully vaccinated. Pictured on the ‘This Morning’ TV show in August
On Twitter, he penned: ‘Covid finally caught me. Thankfully I’m double jabbed. More than halfway through my isolation and coping with the symptoms and effects well…
‘Unfortunately I’m going to be a No Show for some Professional & Personal events. Just want to let everyone know why & offer my apologies’.
As of October 25, there were 36,567 new people confirmed with a positive test result for Covid-19 in the UK.
To-date, a total of 49,715,228 people aged 12+ have received a first dose of a Covid vaccine, and 45,561,445 have received a second dose in the UK.
Recovering: The TV presenter said he’s ‘halfway through his isolation’ and is ‘coping with the symptoms and effects well’ after having previously received two doses of a vaccine
The UK is not yet ‘on top’ of the coronavirus pandemic but the Covid-19 vaccines are ‘winning the battle’, an expert has said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said the UK is making ‘really good progress’ but urged people ‘not to throw it all away’ and to get a booster jab when invited to do so.
Following his recovery at home, Holmes and his partner Ruth Langsford will spend Christmas apart with ‘a sea dividing us’.
Festive period: Following his recovery at home, Holmes and his partner Ruth Langsford (pictured) will spend Christmas apart with ‘a sea dividing us’. They both have elderly mothers they want to spend the festive period with after Covid restrictions saw many families apart
The TV presenters both have elderly mothers they want to spend the festive period with after Covid restrictions saw many families kept apart last year.
Speaking to Woman and Home magazine this week, Holmes admitted the couple often have this issue at Christmas as Ruth’s family are in England and his are in Northern Ireland.
He said: ‘We have this issue now, in that we’ve got a sea dividing us. We often have a dilemma of whether I go to Belfast, whether Ruth comes with me.
‘But Ruth wants to be with her mum. My mother is 93 this year. It’s easier for us often to be apart.’
Family: Speaking to Woman and Home magazine this week, Holmes admitted the couple often have this issue at Christmas as Ruth’s family are in England and his are in Northern Ireland. Langsford is pictured with her mother Joan
Langsford, 61, added: ‘Being apart for Christmas has never been a problem. I wouldn’t be going to Belfast this year, because I need to be with my mum. It’s about family for me.’
Her mother Joan lives in Surrey and the pair were unable to be together last Christmas amid the pandemic.
Meanwhile Holmes’ Covid battle comes after he recently recalled his ‘panic’ after being told by a doctor that he could go blind due to painful shingles.
He also admitted that seeing himself in the mirror with red scars on his face was like ‘waking up in a horror movie’.
Holmes was struck down with the illness in 2018 and spoke publicly of his experience this year in a bid to raise awareness.
On his health battle, he told the Mirror: ‘I literally jumped back at my image shouting “what the heck is this?” It was like waking up in a horror movie.
Langsford, 61, added: ‘Being apart for Christmas has never been a problem. I wouldn’t be going to Belfast this year, because I need to be with my mum. It’s about family for me’
‘When I called my doctor and said it was on my face the first question was, “Is it near your eyes? Don’t touch your eyes because it could affect your vision – you could go blind. Get down here to let me see it”. It was panic stations.’
Last month, Holmes shared a picture of himself on Instagram from when he had shingles in 2018, with his face looking puffy, and red marks and scabs visible on his skin.
He thanked ITV and television show Loose Women for letting him speak out on the matter after making a recovery, but admitted he was shocked to have contracted the illness, a rash caused by the reactivation of chickenpox.
The chances of suffering shingles and the severity of the illness increases after the age of 50, with it becoming more likely during times of stress or when the immune system is lowered.
Reunited: Langsford’s mother Joan lives in Surrey and the pair were unable to be together last Christmas amid the pandemic
And Holmes believes it was stress that triggered his illness in 2018, saying his status as a freelance worker was challenged by HM Revenue & Customs when they claimed he worked for ITV and should pay more tax, resulting in a court appearance.
The broadcaster took time off work to recover from shingles, saying he could not have gone on television looking the way he did at the time.
He said the illness also impacted his eldest son Declan’s wedding, adding: ‘I had makeup all over my face trying to pretend everything was fine, but my eyes were just two slits.’
Health woes: Holmes recently recalled his ‘panic’ after being told by a doctor that he could go blind due to painful shingles
While most people make a full recovery from shingles, Eamonn admits he was ‘blissfully ignorant’ but now realises people need to be more aware.
The screen star has also spoken of his back pain on television this year after two slipped discs in his spine left him with nerve damage.
Holmes suffered excruciating pain for a month and was left needing a crutch to help him walk.
‘Horror movie’: The presenter was struck down with the illness in 2018 and admitted that seeing himself in the mirror with red scars on his face was like ‘waking up in a horror movie’
He has been prescribed steroid injections which now help with the pain.
In a clip of himself doing physio, which he shared on social media earlier this year, Holmes said: ‘This all looks very simple and it is very simple except it’s like learning to walk again.’
‘I’ve lost nerves in my right leg and there’s certain actions I can’t do so even the most simple thing is hard but it’s getting better.’
Painful past: The screen star has also spoken of his back pain on television this year after two slipped discs in his spine left him with nerve damage, leaving him needing a stick to walk