Eamonn Holmes and Fiona Phillips' real relationship off screen as star admits thing she 'hated'
During Eamonn Holmes' nine year stint on the GMTV sofa, he presented the morning news alongside his former co-host Fiona Phillips. The presenting duo worked together on the ITV show from 1996 until 2005 when the Irish host made his exit, saying it was "right to move on".
Fiona, 64, and Eamonn, 65, shared a close bond with the GB News presenter saying he would 'particularly miss their friendship' when he left as Fiona replied: "This is our ninth year together. I will miss him more than words can say." However, behind closed doors, the pair's relationship was not as smooth sailing as it seemed with Fiona recently confessing that Eamonn "wasn't the easiest person to work with".
As the mum-of-two reflects on their time working together, here's the low down on their rocky friendship, starting with Fiona revealing the things that used to really irk her about working with Eamonn, the Mirror reports.
Fiona Phillips accuses Eamonn Holmes of 'taking over' in interviews
When Eamonn made his GMTV exit, he said: "What a privilege it has been to wake up the nation over the years with stories that affected all our lives. I've covered every type of story imaginable at GMTV and it's the right time to move on."
Fiona joked she had spent more time with Eamonn than her own husband, GMTV boss, Martin Frizell, but recently told the Mail it "felt like a new opportunity" for her, having claimed she felt side-lined as his co-host.
She also told the Mail that Eamonn "wasn't the easiest person to work with".
She added: "For years, if there was a big interview to be done with a politician, Eamonn would lead the conversation and I was supposed to chip in with a few questions near the end - and I hated that."
Bitter pay dispute
Fiona and Eamonn were an iconic duo on the ITV show between 1996 and 2005 and had a lot of loyal viewers who enjoyed tuning in to watch them present together.
However, Fiona has now claimed she was a "relative pauper" compared to her colleague, who she said was paid "significantly more" than her.
Writing previously in her column for the Daily Mirror, she said that despite being hailed as 'the Queen of Breakfast Telly', she was 'a relative pauper in relation to my on-screen King, Eamonn Holmes.'
She also claimed that her co-star received perks she wasn't deemed worthy of.
She said: "Monetarily I was well adrift of my on-screen partner who also had 'perks' that I clearly wasn't deemed worthy of.'
Eamonn in huge bust-up with Fiona's husband
Eamonn and his ex-spouse, Ruth Langsford, reportedly had a huge row with Fiona's husband, Martin Frizell, who was the boss of GMTV.
The row began after they were asked to host former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon with a Christmas bauble live on air ahead of the 2019 General Election.
Martin reportedly asked Eamonn and Ruth to hand over the gift, and in exchange Nicola would give the two a traditional decoration.
However, the Northern Irish presented did not like the idea and reportedly argued that presenting gifts would break strict impartiality rules for broadcasters in the weeks for the big election.
A source told MailOnline: "Martin exploded, saying he was the editor and he decided what happened on the show.
"He then refused to go to Eamonn's dressing room for the pre-show meeting with the presenters.
"The producer was having to run back and forth between the news room and the dressing room to convey Eamonn's fury to Martin and Martin's fury to Eamonn."
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