Ruth Langsford had no idea she and Eamonn Holmes were being axed as she shrugged off This Morning shake-up LAST WEEK
RUTH Langsford had no idea that she and husband Eamonn Holmes were being axed from This Morning, shrugging off ITV's shake-up just last week.
Earlier today it was revealed that the long-standing TV couple were being replaced with Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary on the daytime show after 14 years.
The pair are "furious and upset" by the decision, and it appears that they may have been completely blindsided by it.
In an interview with new! magazine just last week, 60-year-old Ruth insisted that she didn't know anything about a line-up change on This Morning - and that she wasn't worried about losing her job.
When asked if the show was headed for a shake-up, Ruth told the publication: "There's always talk, I don't know. Not that anybody's told me."
Insisting that she had no concerns about being given the boot, Ruth later added: "I think I am very good at what I do, and as long as they want me I'll be there.
"I've been doing it a very long time and it seems we've been very popular, so I presume all those things will be taken into consideration."
Eamonn and Ruth have presented Friday's episode of This Morning since 2006 - but they will now only be called in for the summer holidays when main hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield take their six-week break.
They will then take over presenting duties for Monday - Thursday, but Alison and Dermot will be the new weekly faces for Friday's shows.
The new hosts previously impressed bosses when they hosted the show together over the summer, with producers keen to add more diversity to their line-up.
But their predecessors have been left understandably hurt by the decision.
A source shared: "Eamonn is pretty furious and everyone feels for him and Ruth, they are well liked on the team, but sometimes tough decisions have to be made."
Speaking of Alison and Dermot, the source added to : "They have real warmth. It's time for change and they are perfect."
A TV insider previously told The Sun that Eamonn feared he was "too pale, stale and male" to remain a regular face on This Morning for much longer.
They explained: "Eamonn and Ruth are incredibly popular with viewers and loved across the board.
"No one wants to see them go. The shows execs have some very tricky decisions. Eamonn fears he is basically too ‘pale, stale and male’, and, at 60, perhaps not in line with the youth drive broadcasters are after.
"One possibility is to keep the couple on as regular holiday cover but lose their regular Friday slot."
News of the reshuffle comes after ITV chief Carolyn McCall sent an email outlining her accelerated diversity and inclusion plan.
Network insiders were worried about a repeat of “Sue Barker-gate” after the former tennis champ, 64, lost her job fronting Question Of Sport for the BBC.
One said: “It’ll look terrible if they give Ruth and Eamonn the boot.
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“Many of our viewers are older or retired, and rely on them to provide some cheer of a morning.”
But This Morning bosses are determined to move ahead with the swap after launching an internal investigation into the diversity of the programme.
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And with Holly and Phil considered "untouchable", it is Eamonn and Ruth who have been impacted by the shake-up.
Furious fans have since vowed to boycott the show in solidarity with the couple, with many claiming that the decision was unfair.