Eamonn Holmes' health battle from chronic pain to shingles as he uses wheelchair

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Eamonn Holmes
Eamonn Holmes' health battle from chronic pain to shingles as he uses wheelchair

Eamonn Holmes' chronic pain battle has seemingly become so bad that the former This Morning presenter has used a wheelchair to help him get around Wembley Stadium over the weekend.

The GB News presenter, 63, has been suffering with chronic pain - caused by a dislocated pelvis and a trapped sciatic nerve, among many other health concerns - and has described his struggles over the past two years as 'soul-destroying'.

Eamonn was was spotted at Wembley on Sunday afternoon to cheer on his favourite team Manchester United as they went head to head with Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup final.

The Irish TV favourite was helped out by his son Declan Holmes and seemed in high spirits despite his health woes.

Before being pictured in the wheelchair, Eamonn regularly used a walking stick to help him get around after he slipped three discs in his back which have affected the movement of his right leg.

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Eamonn Holmes' health battle from chronic pain to shingles as he uses wheelchairEamonn has been suffering with chronic pain for years now (Dave Benett/Getty Images)
Eamonn Holmes' health battle from chronic pain to shingles as he uses wheelchairThe GB News presenter has been documenting his battle on social media (Supplied)

He also underwent spinal surgery last September which left him with a weakened left leg.

Eamonn's streak of bad luck continued two weeks after his surgery while he was in recovery, when he fell backwards down 18 stairs at his home he shares with wife Ruth Langsford.

The horrific fall left the former This Morning star with a broken shoulder, and further weakened the use of his legs.

Eamonn also recently admitted that he could have gone blind after he was struck down with Shingles, which he believes was bought on by a 'stressful' tax row.

Eamonn Holmes' health battle from chronic pain to shingles as he uses wheelchairEamonn has been using a walking stick to help him get around in recent months (Instagram)

The presenter is being ordered to pay an unexpected £250,000 tax bill following a 2020 court ruling.

The tribunal found that despite him arguing that he was freelance whilst on This Morning, he still counted as an ITV employee for tax purposes.

He is now appealing against the ruling, and said the hearing was "the most stressful experience outside of losing my father".

The GB News star said: "I was like a lamb to the slaughter – it was the most stressful, humiliating experience.”

Eamonn Holmes' health battle from chronic pain to shingles as he uses wheelchairEamonn Holmes shares painful snap amid health battle (instagram.com/eamonnholmes)
Eamonn Holmes' health battle from chronic pain to shingles as he uses wheelchairEamonn was left with swollen eyes (Eamonn Holmes/Instagram)


He was left unable to work and believes that the stress of the tax case was what sparked shingles and said that the virus hit him so hard it looked 'as if someone had taken a baseball bat to my face'.

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His shingles attack came on in 2018, just two weeks before his eldest son Declan's wedding.

Describing the illness he said: “It was bloody scary to see it. It looked as if someone had taken a baseball bat to my face and smashed me about a bit.”

He went on: “Blindness could have been a complication in my case. The doctor said it’s really bad for you because it’s around your eyes, and could be bad for your ophthalmic nerves. Medically, it was pretty serious.”

Eamonn Holmes' health battle from chronic pain to shingles as he uses wheelchairEamonn has had to use a walking stick to help him get around amid his chronic pain battle (@eamonnholmes/Instagram)

Despite it all, Eamonn has remained positive about his health battle, and he recently credited an S Club 7 star for helping him get back on his feet after such trauma to his body.

Throughout his battle with chronic pain, Eamonn has been incredibly vocal about the realities of living life which immense setbacks - while also offering inspiration and hope to those who also find themselves in his position.

After sharing one post in particular, S Club 7 star Jo O'Meara reached out to Eamonn - and interaction which would help him more than he could have predicted.

Jo, 43, has also suffered extensive back problems and recently underwent four painful surgeries on her back.

Eamonn Holmes' health battle from chronic pain to shingles as he uses wheelchairS Club 7 star Jo O'Meara helped Eamonn out (jo_omeara /Instagram)
Eamonn Holmes' health battle from chronic pain to shingles as he uses wheelchairEamonn has been receiving regular physio (Instagram)

Lifting the lid on his interaction with the Don't Stop Movin' singer, Eamonn told Mail Online : "She got in touch to say she had the same disc problems I did and had just had surgery with a German surgeon.

"I asked if she could pass on his details, because by now I was desperate."

After contacting the surgeon, Eamonn went under the knife in late September.

"It went well - the doctor tidied things up, and generally the pain has gone, which is brilliant. The flip side is that it has now left me with an issue in my left leg, which would collapse unexpectedly."

Eamonn Holmes' health battle from chronic pain to shingles as he uses wheelchairEamonn has been keeping fans up to date on his health battle (@EamonnHolmes/Twitter)
Eamonn Holmes' health battle from chronic pain to shingles as he uses wheelchairEamonn says relying on other people is 'soul-destroying' (eamonnholmes / Instagram)

Back in December, Eamonn opened up about his health struggles with fans as he expressed his upset at having to depend on others, saying that it felt 'soul-destroying'.

Eamonn shared his issues as he wrote: "Worked hard at my physio this morning. Very tiring but I've now sat on my backside for 5 hours and feel bad about doing nothing... lack of mobility and depending on others stops me doing really simple things. For peace of mind I feel another round of foot exercises coming on."

At the time, one fan wrote: "I feel your pain I had 6 months of physio 2 hours a night 5 a week. I hated relying on folk but the one thing was NO one will ever understand how awful Physio is and how exhausting."

Eamonn Holmes' health battle from chronic pain to shingles as he uses wheelchairEamonn has been supported by his loving wife, Ruth Langsford (Scott Garfitt/REX/Shutterstock)

In response, Eamonn commented: "Relying is soul destroying."

Opening up on his chronic pain battle back in March 2021, Eamonn said: "Starting the day by tackling the pain from the night before. On the physio table. Chronic pain. Just can't get it to go away."

Eamonn regularly documents his chronic pain on social media, something which has earned him the praise of thousands of others who are currently going through the same experience as him.

Susan Knox

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