Inside Fiona Phillips and Eamonn Holmes' feud as she shares true feelings
Fiona Phillips spent nine years sitting on the GMTV sofa next to Eamonn Holmes. The veteran presenters worked together on the ITV daytime show from 1996 until 2005 until Eamonn left, saying it was "right to move on".
Praising his co-host, he told Fiona, now 64, 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 the scenes, things weren't quite as cordial, with Fiona recently revealing Eamonn, 65, "wasn't the easiest person to work with".
So, as the mum-of-two reflects on her time working with the former This Morning host, here's the lowdown on their rocky relationship, starting with Fiona accusing the GB News host of always hogging the conversation...
READ MORE: Fiona Phillips shares true feelings on Eamonn Holmes as she admits 'hating' one thing
Fiona Phillips accuses Eamonn Holmes of 'taking over' in interviews
When Eammon left GMTV, 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 the Northern Irishman than her 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.
Claiming Eamonn "wasn't the easiest person to work with", she told the Mail: "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 formed a winning team on the ITV show between 1996 and 2005 and had a legion of loyal fans. However, Fiona 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 known to millions as 'the Queen of Breakfast Telly ', she was 'a relative pauper in relation to my on-screen King, Eamonn Holmes.'
Claiming Eamonn enjoyed 'perks she wasn't deemed worthy of, she added: '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-wife, Ruth Langsford, were said to have had a huge row after the former couple were asked to present former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon with a Christmas bauble live on air ahead of the 2019 General Election.
Martin reportedly wanted Eamonn and Ruth to hand over the gift, and in exchange Nicola would give the two a traditional decoration.
However, dad-of-four, Eamonn, wasn't keen on the arrangement and allegedly claimed 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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