Their split announcement in May after nearly 14 years of marriage shocked fans, but perhaps more surprising was the suggestion that Eamonn Holmes has already moved on from his ex-wife Ruth Langsford.

And now, frustrated by his seemingly cold attitude and emboldened by the support of her friends, Ruth, 64, is said to be considering her own return to the dating scene.

An insider tells Closer, “Ruth’s pals have been rallying around her and telling her to get back out there. She doesn’t feel ready at all, if truth be told. She’s been left reeling after seeing Eamonn get close to a new woman.

Eamonn has reportedly already began to move on ©Imago

“But her friends have said that if Eamonn is moving on with someone new, there’s no reason why she shouldn’t. Ruth’s pals have a long list of men they would love to set her up with – she’s a glamorous and successful woman. She can still turn heads!”

Just weeks after Eamonn, 64, and Ruth announced their divorce in a statement made via their representative, he was linked to relationship counsellor Katie Alexander. The pair have been spotted together multiple times, with a source close to Katie, 42, previously sharing, “She wants to help Eamonn with his situation, and their friendship has grown over a period of time. She feels she will be close to him for a long period and is in this for the long haul.”

When the details of her and Eamonn’s split first emerged, Ruth took some time out of the spotlight, only returning to work last week. The Loose Women star failed to address her marriage breakdown, but eagle-eyed fans spotted that she was still wearing her wedding ring as she said to her fellow presenters, “It’s very nice to be back with you all”. Viewers were also quick to spot that Eamonn was still wearing his wedding ring when he appeared on GB News with ex-colleague Anne Diamond.

And despite Ruth still feeling connected to her ex-husband, after taking that time for herself and leaning on friends, sources say that she is now ready to re-enter the dating scene.

“Ruth has been on a real emotional roller coaster,” they explain. “There have been moments where she has been down, thinking that she would probably never find someone special at her age. But her pals have told her that’s simply not true – lots of people find love later in life and her pals think Ruth is a hot ticket and simply doesn’t realise it.

Ruth with her pal, Lucy Alexander ©Imago

“They feel she could easily have a revenge romance tomorrow if she wants to, and they hate the idea of her being down on herself or losing confidence.

They’ve encouraged her to put herself first for a change, especially as it seems Eamonn will move on swiftly. She’s basically being encouraged by pals to beat him to it, but she’s still unsure.”

Eamonn and Ruth – once a TV power couple as they hosted This Morning together from 2006-2020 – met in 1997 through their mutual friend, TV presenter Sally Meen, and went on to welcome their son Jack in 2002.

They eventually tied the knot in June 2010 in front of friends including Holly Willoughby and Christine Lampard, with Ruth officially becoming step-mum to Eamonn’s sons, Declan, 35, and Niall, 31, and daughter Rebecca, 33, from his previous 11-year marriage to Gabrielle Holmes.

Ruth and Eamonn were together for over 25 years ©Imago

With the pair’s last public appearance together coming two years ago in July 2022 for the TRIC Awards, it’s been suggested that their relationship had been on the rocks for a while.

While neither Eamonn nor Ruth have spoken about the reason for their split, sources have suggested that while their busy, separate work schedules played a part, Ruth also reportedly found messages between Eamonn and another woman on a laptop. One insider said at the time, “She had no idea what had been going on between them. She was devastated.”

Our source concludes, “The idea of dating feels slightly terrifying to Ruth but, on her good days, she’s quite excited about a new romance and agrees she shouldn’t be selling herself short. She just wants to tread carefully in the public eye and not make it look like she’s the one who is desperate to move on from it all.

“Ruth does believe she deserves to be in love and to be loved by someone. She’s met so many inspirational women in her career and been inspired by their stories – now she’s finding herself in a really big transitional moment of her life and wants to start living her best life again.”

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WATCH: Eamonn and Ruth reveal why they argue during the ad breaks | This Morning secrets

Daisy Hall is a News and Entertainment writer across Closer, heat, Grazia, Bella, Yours and Crime Monthly magazines.