Emotional Eamonn Holmes fuels feud with ITV and brands them ‘ministry of lies’ as he wins TRIC Award

EMOTIONAL Eamonn Holmes slammed ITV today after winning a prestigious TRIC Award.

The former This Morning host, who now works for GB News, picked up the News Presenter of the Year gong at the star-studded ceremony inside London's Grosvenor House.

Eamonn and wife Ruth Langsford were brutally axed from This Morning last year after more than a decade on the show, and it left a bad taste in the veteran broadcaster's mouth.

Taking aim at his old bosses during a Q&A in the winners' room, Eamonn ranted: "The ministry of lies, their press office, of course, which chunder out the same sort of... yeah, the ministry of lies.

"So the point is I did not resign from ITV, ITV resigned from me, and I never received a single explanation once of why they wanted rid of me, so that was that.

"No matter what you’ve been told. And also the sort of stuff that comes out: 'Eamonn believes he’s male, pale and stale'. It doesn't look like it, does it? Eamonn never once said it, ITV press office said that."

The 62-year-old insisted he's "never slagged off ITV", instead he claimed he's simply been 'telling the truth'.

He also shot down accusations that his outbursts are awkward for his wife Ruth, who is still working for ITV's Loose Women.

"Ruth is Ruth and I’m me," he said.

Asked whether he thought GB News’ breakfast show could end up trumping Piers Morgan’s record viewer figures on Good Morning Britain, Eamonn replied: “Oh god yes.”

He went on: “You wouldn't be doing what you do if you don’t think you’re the best at what you do. So of course, if you don't think you can overtake them you shouldn’t be doing it. 

“I just think our standards are raising. We are the people’s channel… so hopefully we will overtake them next year. 

“Our audience has gone up sixfold. You know we regularly beat Sky News, Sky News has been in existence for 35 years, I’ve been there for six months. 

“It’s like sport, there’s no point taking part if you don’t want to win.”

With another dig at ITV, he added: “The first day on GB News I walked into the newsroom and they stood up and they applauded me, it doesn’t get much better than that. 

“It was nice to belong, it was nice to feel that you had a role to play. I know I have a role to play. You don’t become any less of a broadcaster because you get older.” 

The Northern Irishman spoke out about his axing from This Morning last week, once again revealing he'd never been told the real reason behind the decision.

He and wife Ruth were replaced by Dermot O'Leary and Alison Hammond in their regular Thursday and Friday slot.

The surprise shake-up came after Eamonn received criticism for suggesting there could be a link between 5G masts and the spread of the coronavirus.

Asked if that was the reason for his sacking, Eamonn told : "It’s never been mentioned to me. If that was the case, at least that would be a reason.

"And if Dame EasyJet [ITV boss Dame Carolyn McCall, ex-chief exec of EasyJet] had wanted an apology or some sort of explanation, fine. But she never picked up the phone and asked me."