Eamonn Holmes posts painful-looking throwback snap of his swollen face caused by shingles

Eamonn Holmes has been lauded by his fans after posting a throwback photo to Instagram on Friday of his swollen and red face caused by shingles.

The presenter, 62, was left unable to work when he suffered with the illness in 2018, shocking fans as he uploaded a photo of his painful-looking face at the time.

And sharing another picture on Instagram this week, the host wrote: ‘Ageing puts you at higher risk of shingles (esp. 50+) so it’s good to know what to look for.

‘Bless you, I know it’s so painful!’ Eamonn Holmes has been lauded by his fans after posting a throwback photo to Instagram on Friday of his swollen and red face caused by shingles

Brave: The presenter, 62, wrote in his caption: 'Ageing puts you at higher risk of shingles (esp. 50+) so it’s good to know what to look for'

Brave: The presenter, 62, wrote in his caption: ‘Ageing puts you at higher risk of shingles (esp. 50+) so it’s good to know what to look for’

‘I’m pleased to partner with @gsk on their Understanding Shingles report, as I’ve suffered from this previously. For info on shingles visit understandingshingles.co.uk. Funded by GSK.’

TV personality Lizzie Cundy commented: ‘Good to be helping others by understanding shingles. Sending love ❤️.’

Gordon Ramsay added: ‘Incredible achievement congratulations @rouxwatersideinnbray ❤️,’ while Carol Vorderman inserted a red heart.

Other devotees wrote: ‘Wishing you well .. my husband had this, this year for the first time . So painful ❤️,’ and, ‘Oh bless you, I know it’s so painful from seeing my mum suffer, opw you heal soon and get well soon ❤️xx.’

Oh dear: The presenter, 62, was left unable to work when he suffered with the illness in 2018, shocking fans as he uploaded a photo of his painful-looking face at the time

Oh dear: The presenter, 62, was left unable to work when he suffered with the illness in 2018, shocking fans as he uploaded a photo of his painful-looking face at the time

Shingles is a viral rash caused by varicella zoster virus, the virus which causes chickenpox, being reactivated.

In the UK, 90 per cent of adults have had chickenpox, so will have this virus lying dormant in their nervous systems.

Last year, Eamonn appeared on Loose Women to talk about his ‘brutal’ battle with shingles, with the broadcaster saying he looked like ‘Quasimodo’ on his son Declan’s wedding day in 2018.

Wow! He certainly received support from his celebrity pals and fans alike

Wow! He certainly received support from his celebrity pals and fans alike

As a picture of Eamonn’s face was shown on screen, the TV host said: ‘This is me with shingles looking like Quasimodo there and as you can see from that, it’s quite brutal.’

He continued: ‘You’ll say, ‘How on earth did you get that?’ Well, if you’ve had chickenpox and you’ve had the virus, it’s there in your system and there’s a very high chance – 60% chance or so – that you too will have shingles.’

Eamonn shares children Declan, 33, Rebecca, 31, Niall, 29, with his ex wife Gabrielle and son Jack, 19, with current wife Ruth Langsford, 61.

He explained the impact the condition had and detailed how his image was ravaged by the side effects on his son’s wedding day.

Swollen: Last year, Eamonn appeared on Loose Women to talk about his 'brutal' battle with shingles, saying he looked like 'Quasimodo' on his son Declan's wedding day in 2018

Swollen: Last year, Eamonn appeared on Loose Women to talk about his ‘brutal’ battle with shingles, saying he looked like ‘Quasimodo’ on his son Declan’s wedding day in 2018

He said: ‘That was at a time when my eldest son – my only son to get married. That was the first marriage in the family and that was what I looked like on the wedding day and I had to have that covered up…

‘So you can imagine, I ruined all the pictures, I didn’t want to be in them. I didn’t want to be the centre of attention with all this…

‘But the timing was awful. The dangerous thing about mine was that if it’s on your face, it can affect, maybe impair your eyesight.’

In an interview with i last year, Eamonn also spoke about the horror he felt when he was stricken with the illness.

He said: ‘It was like some hideous movie, where you feel your face and you go, “What’s that?”

‘I remember going to the bathroom mirror and jumping back in horror. I had no idea what the symptoms were or why you would even be vulnerable to it.

‘I had no idea whether I had had chickenpox at all, so I had to go and ask my mother.’

SHINGLES: DISEASE CAUSED BY SAME VIRUS AS CHICKENPOX

Shingles is caused by the same virus as chickenpox, the herpes varicella-zoster virus, and causes a painful rash which develops into itchy blisters.

It is an infection of a nerve and the skin around it which can also make people feel unwell for several days before any rash appears.

Most people carry the virus dormant after suffering from chickenpox as a child, but it can be reactivated in later life to cause shingles.

There is currently no cure for the disease and in most cases the painful rash lasts between 7 and 10 days, although it can take two to four weeks to fully heal.

The disease can also lead to complications such as postherpetic neuralgia, which is when severe nerve pain lasts for more than three months after the rash has gone.

Estimations suggest this affects at least 1 in 10 people with shingles, although it is more common in older people.

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