Going public over double hip replacement op 'a risk' for TV's Eamonn Holmes

Eamonn Holmes faces 10 weeks off work when he has a double hip replacement.

The presenter said he has delayed the operation for a long time and has yet to book a date.

He said being open about the surgery is a "risk", describing the industry he works in as "ageist".

Holmes told the Daily Mirror: "I've been putting it off for years, but it's got to the stage where I can't delay it any longer. It is very painful, and does stop me doing certain things.

"But I'm a 55-year-old man and I know how ageist this industry can be. I don't want people thinking 'Oh, he's having a double hip replacement - he's past it', and then never being seen on television again. So going public with it is a risk.

"Then again, if I need 10 weeks off, I don't want there to be viewer speculation that I've been off having cosmetic surgery or something. Presenting live, daily TV, it's not as if people wouldn't notice.

"I'm having both hips done at the same time but haven't booked a date. I need to check my schedules."

The Northern Irish host, who appears on Sky's breakfast show Sunrise and ITV's This Morning, said his wife, Ruth Langsford, will not be looking forward to his recovery period.

"I don't think Ruth is exactly relishing playing nurse. Everything I do annoys her anyway, and she is sensitive to the smallest of things, from the way I eat to the sound I make when I breathe.

"So having me around and hugely incapacitated for 10 weeks is bound to drive her mad," he said.