Eamonn Holmes admits he was ‘so drugged up’ after hip replacement op he thought Ruth Langsford was an angel
The This Morning presenter underwent a gruelling double hip replacement in 2016
RUTH Langsford proved hubby Eamonn Holmes' guardian on Earth and beyond after he revealed he woke up from his harrowing double hip operation believing she was one of Heaven's angels.
In a soppy affirmation of his affection, he hailed the bubbly Loose Women host the ethereal spirit he would choose every time.
The married telly favourites - who present ITV daytime show This Morning together - faced a harrowing start to 2016 when Eamonn, 57, was admitted into hospital for the gruelling procedure in February.
Speaking during his recovery, Ruth said she thought "she would lose" her other half while the Northern Irish host admitted he "was not very optimistic" of his chances of survival.
Speaking to about waking up after surgery, Eamonn said: "Ruth's face was the first thing I saw.
"I said if this is Heaven, you're the angel that I want."
Ruth, 57, quipped he was "drugged up to the eyeballs" when he finally came around.
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Talking of his procedure, which saw him take a temporary break from the small screen, former Sky News anchor Eamonn added: Ruth's not good under pressure and it was a lot of pressure."
Meanwhile mum-of-one Ruth admitted: "I was terrified.
"I knew Eamonn was thinking 'this could be the last time I see my children'.
"The night before he went into hospital I cried."
The telly host admits he put off the surgery for years due to his career, after a doctor warned him he would need it when he was 36.
He endured 25 years of hip, leg and back pain, and secretly sat on an inflatable disc when presenting.
Appearing on Loose Women – which Ruth also features on Fridays – back in September, Eamonn revealed his wife of almost seven years had been a strict nurse during his recovery.
Since returning to work after his op, Eamonn has made a number of changes in his life, including quitting his role on Sky News' 'Sunrise' after 11 years.
He wrote on his Facebook page at the time: "Anchoring my own breakfast show for 11 years has been for me the stuff of boyhood dreams. It was the job I hoped to do as a young Belfast lad – and because of Sky News I got there!
“Forty five years plus on I have other dreams, and to achieve them I realise that unfortunately I need to step away from the daily studio commitment for a while."
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